High Hopes
by BriarBlanca
Summary: Married young, Sasuke and Hinata had always thought they had what it took to go the distance. But when Sasuke's career as a singer in a rock band took off, Hinata felt stuck. After the hard decision to live separate lives and continue with her own career, something happens that pulls Sasuke back into her life. Will they remain at an arm's distance or embrace their high hopes?
1. Chapter 1

"Hinata! Hinata! How do you feel knowing that Sasuke is dating Sakura Haruno?" The microphone was shoved in her face before she even had time to blink.

"Umm, it's nice I guess." The paparazzi frothed at the mouth with that response and encircled her further.

"Can you elaborate on that?" Another one asked.

"I need to get going. Please let me through." She mumbled and was able to push her way through the small crowd. She ran to the closest bus stop and was able to board the bus without them getting on with her.

"They really need to leave you alone Miss Hinata. Damn Vultures is what they are." The bus driver muttered underneath his breath.

"Thank you, Hank. I've gotten somewhat used to it. I appreciate the concern though." She smiled at his image in the rearview mirror as he took off down the street.

Hinata slumped in her seat and saw a few texts from her coworkers but none from Sasuke which was good. She hated it when she bothered him with stuff like this even though she tried to never tell him about it. That's just what happened when you were affiliated with someone so famous.

When she was fifteen she fell in love with Sasuke Uchiha when they were in high school and they had the bright idea to get married at eighteen years old. With the years passing by and both of them struggling to find themselves, as well as establish a career they were proud of, they had drifted apart.

Sasuke had been in a rock band that had swelled in popularity when they were about 20 years old. He was the singer and his fame had grown immensely. He was always on the road touring or doing a talk show or radio interview. And Hinata had been happy for him, truly, but there were parts of her that had been jealous of literally everyone else because they were seeing her husband a lot more than she was.

While Sasuke was busy with his band, she had been climbing the ranks in education. She had always wanted to be a teacher, a college professor, to be exact. Her career took off a few years after his did when she graduated graduate school. She always felt the most comfortable in front of her students leading a discussion about biology. Where most people struggled with biology, Hinata had thrived. She was a favorite amongst the professors as well as the students and the fact that she married the world's biggest rock star gave her extra cool points.

But eventually her bed and home had grown colder. She was not usually the jealous type and it wasn't even the fact that he was surrounded with beautiful young women every day. It was the fact that even on the rare times he came home, he was always talking to someone else about work, that made her jealous. They barely spoke to each other when he was home and even when they did it was requests/demands to spend time in their bedroom. And unfortunately for the two of them, sex did not a marriage make. Although she always counted her blessing that he never stepped out on her when he was away like other musicians did.

When the time came for Sasuke and Hinata to have the talk they were living completely separate lives. It was an amicable split however feelings were hurt because Sasuke refused to believe that they were over. He accused her of finding someone else but she quietly told him that she still loved him. He would always be her first choice and if things were different they would still be together. Sasuke pleaded with her but she simply told him that she was tired. She wanted to move on and focus on herself.

After the heat died down and he admitted that it was for the best, he agreed to the divorce. He wanted to pay spousal support so Hinata could still live comfortably but she adamantly denied it. She just wanted their house. She didn't want to move and he agreed. The divorce had been a simple process between the two of them but it caused all sorts of chaos in the media.

Every news outlet had their own story as to why they split up but none of them could grasp the simple truth. They spun all sorts of cheating accusations on the both of them, which was hurtful but Sasuke quickly did a press conference and set the record straight. They had both grown apart and the distance was too great but they still loved each other and wished each other the absolute best.

After a few months, the news had dialed back on the two of them and for that Hinata was grateful. She still loved Sasuke and hadn't been looking for anyone else. Him and her still talked often and he tried to hire a security detail for her in the beginning but she swore up and down it was fine.

"Miss Hinata, isn't this your stop?" Hank asked, pulling her out of her memories.

"Oh yes. Thank you and have a great day!" She smiled and waved at him as she exited the bus.

She stepped out into the cold weather and made her way to the university she worked at. It was one of the more prestigious colleges in the nation but Hinata was thankful it was so large because she could disappear into a crowd if she so chose.

Making her way up the stairs she finally made it to her classroom with seconds to spare. She could hear the mumbling amongst her students and she knew exactly why. If the press were hounding her this morning about Sasuke's new fling than she was sure her students knew about it too. She looked into the sea of curious/concerned eyes staring back at her.

"Sorry I'm later than usual, class. Now please get out your assignments that were due today and I'll collect them in a second." A hand raised in the air.

"Yes Jeremy?" She asked, already knowing where this was going.

"Have you seen the news?" Heads turned towards her.

"No but I can only assume this has to do with Mr. Uchiha." She guessed and he just nodded.

"Mr. Uchiha and I are close friends still and I have absolutely no ill feelings toward him or anyone he chooses to be affiliated with. Now if that's all Jeremy, please read your assignment out loud to the class to show an example of why it's never okay to discuss your teacher's personal life." She smiled sweetly at him and listened to him read his mediocre report.

Once he was finished she collected all of the assignments and began her lesson. Luckily, making an example of Jeremy shut the rest of her students up and the next hour went as smooth as possible. She watched them all scurry out of the room with their tails between their legs. The rest of her classes went along a lot better than the first one which she was happy about.

After her day was finished and she started packing up her things in her office she heard the familiar beeping of her phone. She looked down to see the grumpy face of one Sasuke Uchiha.

"Well hello." She greeted.

"Did they hurt you?" He always forgot about formalities. It was one of the reasons why he was so popular within the talk show circuit.

"Did who hurt me?" She asked stunned. She walked over to her door and closed it before a nosey student or fellow professor could eavesdrop.

"The paps. Who else would want to hurt you?" He demanded more than asked.

"I'm not sure but you never know. And to answer your question, no, they didn't hurt me." He looked relieved at that.

"Good. I think I really am going to get you a bodyguard. I can't keep having you be affected by my own blowback." He said disgusted.

"Don't worry. It rarely happens. They'll forget about us in a week. I don't want a bodyguard. You should worry about yourself, I'm fine." She said with a gentle smile.

"Fine but if you're ever hurt because of those bastards, I won't be asking your opinion. You will have one." He looked at her pointedly.

"Okay, okay." She relented with a grin, which caused him to smile himself. It was one of those rare looks she hadn't seen in a while.

"I'm coming home this weekend by the way."

"You are? When do you fly in?"

"Friday night. Our next show isn't until Tuesday so I can be home all weekend."

"Okay, I'll see you when you get here then." She said a little stunned.

"Alright, I have to go. Bye." He said before hanging up on her.

She would have never mentioned it to him but the hickeys on his neck were a pretty big contrast to his alabaster skin. She wondered if that really was Sakura's doing. Trying to shake her mind off of what she just saw, she gathered the rest of her stuff in her bag. She quickly opened the door and immediately flew backwards as the body of one Kiba Inuzuka quickly fell to the floor. Hinata winced as the professor hit the floor with a hard thud. But he looked up at her with that dopey grin of his.

"Hey you want to grab a meal with me and Shino right now? He just finished his last class and he needs a drink." He asked from the floor.

"Okay but it's going to have to be quick. I have somewhere to be in an hour." Kiba waved her off.

"I know, I know. Just come hang out with us! Your meal is on me!" He exclaimed as he jumped up from the floor and grabbed Hinata's hand and drug her towards Shino and they all made their way down to the local sushi bar. It was a hole in the wall place but she had never tasted anything so delicious. It was definitely a favorite amongst the teachers.

They all sat down and ordered their food. Once that was out of the way Kiba zoomed in on her and went for the kill.

"So Sasuke's moving on, huh?" He immediately got slapped on the back of his head by Shino.

"Don't ask that stupid." He quietly mumbled.

"Sorry Hinata. I'm just curious. I hope you're okay." He looked at her with sympathy all over his face.

"I'm fine Kiba. I knew this was going to happen. I was the one that asked for this, remember?" She said gently.

"Still I ought to beat his ass. I just feel like it's not right, you know? The whole situation could be better in my opinion." He muttered before drinking his sake.

"It is what it is. It's been three years, I say it's long overdue. He needs to move on." She shrugged before digging into her newly arrived dish. They all ate in silence and it was nice. Hinata was glad she could spend time with her two closest friends from work. They hardly ever hung out before. Hinata glanced at her watch and her eyes bulged.

"I have to go. Thank you for inviting me out, I appreciate it and miss you guys. Let's schedule a day where we can hang out for longer." She set money down on the table for her portion of food before Kiba or Shino could object and bolted out of the restaurant. She made her way down the street for a few blocks and finally reached her destination after huffing and puffing just a little. She really needed to get back in the gym, she thought.

The door opened with a little chime of a bell and the perky younger woman jumped up from behind the counter.

"Oh Mrs. Uchiha! Hold on one minute!" She exclaimed with a smile before going into the back. She looked around the brightly colored place and smiled. The place had so much warmth, it was always so inviting.

"Mommy!" Kaito ran from around the counter and flew into her arms. She laughed and picked up her little bundle of joy.

"Well hello there." She said with a grin and kissed him on his nose.

"We go home?" He asked and she smiled and thanked the daycare assistant with her help. They turned to leave when she looked at him.

"Yes, we're going home. Ready?" She looked at his rosy cheeks.

"Yeah!" She giggled at that and made her way home with him comfortably in her arms. Luckily her house wasn't too far from the daycare, only a quarter of a mile away. He could obviously walk but sometimes she just refused to put him down and today was one of those days. He was getting heavier every day and soon she would have to buy a car to transport the two of them back and forth between places. It wasn't that she couldn't afford a car, it was just that these walks back from daycare were so precious, she didn't want to lose that bonding time. But she figured her time was running out and soon she would have to cave and buy one.

"Mommy I had fun today!" He said once they were inside their home. She took off his shoes and her own and started towards the kitchen to make him dinner.

"Oh, you did? What did you do?" She asked while prepping his food. He rattled on and on about daycare and some of it made sense and some of it didn't. She never questioned it because people assured her sometimes the things toddlers said didn't make a whole lot of sense. She got him ready for dinner and once he was settled and eating she drank her tea and reveled in the small bit of silence she was granted during dinner.

When her and Sasuke split up she was sick for about a month but she wrote it off as stress to the split. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she was pregnant. When she complained about her illness to Kurenai, her confidant at work and one of her mentors, she suggested that Hinata take a pregnancy test. She remembered shaking with anticipation, waiting to see what the test results would be and she cried tears of joy when she found out. Her and Sasuke had talked about having kids but not until they were in their thirties and more settled but she couldn't have been happier that Kaito had come into their lives sooner than expected.

She demanded that Sasuke fly back one night when she knew he wasn't busy. He did so with reluctance but when he came home she just showed him the results of her ultrasound the previous day. His face was white at first and confused. The reaction she wasn't expecting was one of pure anger. He accused her of cheating on him, there was no way she was pregnant with his child. He would have known, they hadn't had sex in a while. She gently reminded him that they made love the night before they talked about divorce and he stilled at that. He had forgotten about that, he had said. She asked him if it would make him feel better if he took a paternity test and he told her it would give him peace of mind. She agreed, knowing full well it was his and only his. And when the results came back a few days later, Sasuke had cried. He had held her and cradled her as if she was the most precious thing on Earth. He was so happy he had exclaimed, he didn't think he would be a father this soon but he was so happy it was with her. They would be the best parents. He sobered at the idea of them parenting without being together but she took his hands. This can be your home base, Sasuke, she had said. We can do this together when you come home. He smiled at that. And eight months later they had welcomed their baby boy. Thankfully Sasuke was able to take time off to be with the both of them.

They had successfully kept Kaito hidden from the news for almost a year. How they managed to do it, Hinata will never know but they were in such pure bliss that first year. Even though Sasuke wasn't always around, he came back whenever he could and immediately took over the duties that Hinata did when he was away. The moment he stepped foot in the house, she crawled into bed and slept for what felt like an eternity. As much as she loved Kaito, those alone moments were also times she cherished.

Of course, Sasuke, being Sasuke, had written a few songs about parenthood and about Kaito and surprisingly one song about Hinata as well. And these new songs had people scratching their heads and poking their noses where they didn't belong and not long after that fact did people realize Kaito existed. She figured this would happen but he was still infuriated about it. She lived in an upper-class neighborhood that was secure from any outsiders and she reminded him of that fact. He hated leaving the two of them but the fact her house was secure made him feel better.

So, he toured on the road still but facetimed them whenever he could and came home whenever he could and called whenever he could. He would always text her and ask her questions about what he should get Kaito in the new town he was staying in or what fun things she think Kaito would like to do when he came home. When she had this child, she knew it was a blessing but she never realized how hard she would fall back in love with the father of her child. Every time she saw him her heart clenched. He was always so amazing with Kaito and it hurt her immensely to know that he had moved on to be with Sakura, his biggest fangirl after all these years.

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A/N: I hope you all liked it. I'm pretty new to the Naruto fandom and I love this pairing for some reason. I also love Naruhina and Sasusaku but for some reason Sasuhina just does it for me. Please let me know what you all thought I love getting feedback on stories!


	2. Chapter 2

A knock on the door late Friday night woke up Hinata. She rolled out of bed in her robe and hurried to the front door. When she opened it, she saw the quiet smile of Sasuke. His midnight colored hair was getting longer but not too long and his dark eyes had slight bags underneath them but he looked impeccable. She opened it wide enough so he could come in. He dropped his bag at the front door and raised an eyebrow at her once she shut the door.

"He's asleep but I think he would love it if you woke him up." She said quietly. He shook his head.

"Not yet. I need to talk to you." He said quickly. He fell onto her sofa and she sat on the other chair and waited for him to start.

"I'm sorry about how you found out."

"About what?" She asked quickly, too quickly.

"You know damn well what. I was planning on telling you." He said with a huff of irritation.

"It's alright. I figured something like this would happen sooner or later." She admitted.

"You figured I would start dating again? Or that you would find out from someone other than me?"

"Both? I don't know. More of the fact that you would start dating than anything." She shrugged.

"I hope you know it's not really serious. And if it does turn out to be anything serious, I wouldn't bring her around Kaito for a long time." That thought of another woman in her son's life put a sour taste in her mouth. Trying to ignore the feeling, she pushed on.

"Well I'm happy if you're happy. You deserve to be happy, Sasuke. But are you sure it's a good idea to start dating an actress? You both are already so busy." He gave her a pointed look at that.

"Listen, I appreciate the concern. But like I said it's not really anything you need to worry about. It's not serious, there's no label. The media just caught us having a night out on the town, that's it." She hummed in response and he sighed heavily.

"Are you seeing anyone? Is there something I need to know? Might as well air this dirty laundry out while I'm here." She shook her head at that.

"No. I'm not dating anyone. You should know how I feel about that."

"You say you're going to be single forever, blah blah blah. That's bullshit. The minute you start dating someone you tell me. I didn't mean for you to be but I sure as hell don't want to be blindsided."

"Fine. You'll be the first to know. But Kaito is my number one priority. I probably won't date until he turns 18 and out of the house." She laid her head down on the couch's arm and her silky dark hair flowed down to the floor.

"I'm sorry for coming in so late. Go to bed. I'm going to bed, I don't want to wake him up right now, it's way past his bedtime." She nodded slowly and got up from her comfortable spot on the couch and he followed her down the hall with his bag. She waved goodnight to him and watched him enter the guest bedroom.

She crawled back into bed and stared at her ceiling. Right now, he would probably be undressing to get into his sleepwear, she thought. His tight rolling abs would be on display as well as his amazing arm muscles. Sasuke always had an amazing body but once he became famous he was always working out and it made her thirstier than ever. She could never get enough when they made love together. He was so strong and every glimpse she got of that chiseled body she cherished and locked away in the back of her mind.

She was an idiot, was what she was. She could still be married to him. Could still be his wife. What on Earth was she thinking?

No. No, she had to keep telling herself. There was a reason they broke up and are no longer together. Every time he came home she always did the same thing, bouncing between berating herself for her stupid decision, to admonishing herself for being weak just because her exquisite ex-husband was sleeping a room away.

She sighed and tried to focus on her breathing and falling asleep. It was a long time before she was able to reach a wink of sleep.

Kaito crawled into bed with her every Saturday morning and she just held him until he got wiggly enough that he requested breakfast. She got up and prepared waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. It was his favorite dish, after all.

"Mommy, when can I see Daddy?" Kaito asked while tugging on her robe.

"Well actually-", She started when she heard the door open. She saw Kaito look to her with widening eyes and then look towards the hallway.

Sasuke emerged with major bedhead but a dazzling grin as he bent down to Kaito's height.

"DADDDDDDYYYYY!" Their son screamed as he ran into his father's arms. Hinata teared up and Sasuke just twirled him around and threw him in the air a few times.

"Hi bud! I missed you." He said as he looked up at him in the air.

"I missed you!" Kaito squealed. Sasuke kissed his cheek and continued to play with him as Hinata finished making all of them breakfast. She loved seeing the two of them interact. Sasuke couldn't have been a better father. Even though he was away for most of it, he always made up for it when he was here and she was glad that Kaito could have a male figure in his life. She couldn't always teach him everything and even she knew that.

"Mama's made us breakfast. Did you wash your hands?" Sasuke asked as he set the little one on the floor.

"Nope!" Sasuke laughed at that.

"Go wash your hands and then we can eat together, okay?" Kaito ran off towards the bathroom while Sasuke stood there beaming.

"Man, he's gotten bigger. I'm sad I miss these moments." He admitted quietly.

"Well you're here now so don't wallow. What are you going to do today?" She asked as she started digging into her breakfast.

"I think I'm going to take him to the zoo, it's a nice day out. Then go have lunch and we can walk around town or something. Do you want to come?"

"No, thank you. I need to clean house and run a few errands." He shook his head at that.

"All work and no play makes Hinata a dull mama." He said with a cheeky grin. She chucked a strawberry at him before he knew it was coming.

"I don't think a dull 'mama' would do anything like that."

"Mama why you throw berries at Daddy?" Kaito asked as he sat down in his chair and Sasuke was trying not to laugh.

"Because your father is being a meanie. Once you eat you can spend all day with him okay? But you need to eat your food first." She told him with a stern face and he did nothing but nod and shovel food in his mouth, while also getting some on his pajamas.

"He takes after you in that aspect." She looked at Sasuke and then down to Kaito's now-stained shirt. Sasuke just shook his head at that and copied their son and his animalistic eating skills.

Hinata rolled her eyes but watched them eat with interest. Even though Sasuke wasn't always around it seemed like Kaito was his dad's little clone. Kaito had the same mannerisms, same hair, same eyes but he was a lot more approachable than Sasuke ever would be.

The boys got ready and Hinata cleaned up the kitchen. Once they set off, Hinata took to deep cleaning her house. Saturday was her day to do all the chores, after all. After a few hours of deep cleaning, a shower, and hair and makeup done she set off to go grocery shopping. She always took her time when Kaito wasn't with her. She loved looking at the clothes and picking outfits that she didn't really need but they ended up in her cart anyways. After what felt like an eternity she finally escaped her favorite store with her wallet barely intact.

She made her way back home and once everything was put away she collapsed on the couch with a new book she got. It had been such a peaceful day but she was a little lonely and the house was a little too quiet for her taste. She sighed, put down her book, and turned on her TV. Surprisingly, the channel that had been turned on was a talk show with a peppy blonde woman. She was about to turn the channel when the camera panned to the incoming guest and ironically enough it was Sasuke.

"Welcome Sasuke Uchiha from Shock of Black, everybody!" She exclaimed and went over to hug him. Hinata could tell he was trying to retain his bad boy image by not smiling too much but his lips tugged at the corners, just a little.

"Thanks." He admitted as he took the white couch next to the hostess.

"So how is the tour going?" She asked excitedly.

"Good. We have a lot more stops to go but we're halfway done." He gruffly replied.

"I bet you're ready to be done so you can see your adorable little boy." An image of Kaito on the swings popped up behind them on a giant screen and the entire crowd gushed. Sasuke softened a little.

"It's hard being away from him. I'm ready to spend more time with him." He admitted and Hinata's heart melted at that.

"I bet. So, if he's not with you, I take it he's living with his mom right now." Sasuke looked uncertain but nodded slowly.

"Yeah she takes care of him. She's a great mom." Hinata flushed at that comment.

"That's so sweet. Do you guys still talk?" She probed further.

"Of course." He said shortly. She didn't look very satisfied with that answer.

"While we're on the topic of kids, do you ever want to have more?" He looked thoughtful at that.

"I'm not sure. It's already hard with one but maybe the right timing and the right woman, who knows."

"What are you watching?" A deep voice behind her asked and Hinata jumped and perhaps screamed just a little bit. She fumbled with the remote and quickly turned the TV off.

"Nothing!" She stammered, willing her pulse to go back to normal. She looked up at Sasuke and Kaito looking at her, both looking at her with amusement and curiosity.

"You scared Mommy!" Kaito squealed at Sasuke and tackled his mom on the couch.

"Why did you freak out like that?" Sasuke asked as he took the remote from the floor and turned the TV on again. He raised his eyebrow at her. "Really? You're watching this?" He asked with skepticism.

"I was going to change it but then I got curious." She murmured the last part quietly.

"Well did you learn anything?" He asked with amusement.

"You're turning into a softie." He grimaced at that. "And it seemed like you don't like talking about me." She added timidly. He threw his hands up in frustration at that.

"Of course, I don't! I never want to share you or Kaito with the world. You are the only two people that are normal around me and I don't want them to talk about you anymore than necessary."

Kaito started crying at Sasuke's outburst and Hinata picked him up.

"Honey it's okay. Mommy made Daddy upset but he's okay. He's not mad. See?" She angled him towards Sasuke and the wails turned into whimpers. She handed him over to Sasuke and he explained in a soft voice that he wasn't mad.

Once Kaito was calm, both parents could tell he was ready for a nap. Sasuke put him to bed and laid down on the floor. Hinata stepped over him to lay on the couch.

"I didn't mean to do that." He said with his eyes closed.

"It's fine. I just don't think he's used to you raising your voice. You know there's another couch a few feet away, right?" She snickered.

"The floor is nice. Plus, I know you vacuumed." He grinned at her. "Hey by the way I wanted to run something by you."

Hinata turned to face him more. She didn't know if this would be a good thing or not.

"I was thinking that you and Kaito should come to at least one of our shows. We're in the area for a few weeks and I'd like the both of you to come." His eyes were earnest and Hinata knew he never asked for anything.

"Okay but his ears are going to be protected. I don't want you rupturing his ear drums." She said sternly.

"I've got special headphones he can wear. Our baby will be protected." Her stomach flip-flopped at that.

"Awesome. You want to come to the one during the week or weekend?" She made a face at that. "Alright weekend it is. I'll have someone pick you both up, seeing as you still don't have a car." She sighed at that. Here it comes, she thought.

"I know I'm going to get one soon. I just need to look for one." She relented.

"Good. Maybe it'll be your birthday present." He muttered to himself more than her.

"Don't be ridiculous. I am more than capable of buying a car."

"Yeah but I can afford a better one." He retorted.

"Sasuke, stop we aren't talking about this anymore."

"Okay fine." The look on his face meant trouble. Hinata should have been grateful he wanted to buy her a car but she felt belittled when he did that. She worked hard to get where she was and she was wealthy enough to pay for a car in full. The only thing she ever allowed Sasuke to buy her was the house but other than that he never made large purchases for her even though he wanted to. The man didn't even pay child support, per her request. She was more than capable of taking care of their son with her own money. However, she never stopped Sasuke when he would take Kaito shopping for clothes, school supplies, or toys. He was more than welcome to pay for those things if he wanted to.

"Do you want to stay the night in our hotel? The weekend show is a few hours from here and I don't think it would be a good idea to head back at one in the morning." Hinata frowned at that.

"That's probably a good idea, but isn't it too late to book a reservation?"

"You must have forgotten who you're talking to." He said slyly. He picked up his phone and called his manager to book an extra room at the hotel and then hung up. "I'll send you the reservation information when it's done but you probably won't need it because we'll all just ride together."

"Okay. I'm kind of excited, I haven't been to one of your concerts in a long time." She admitted quietly.

"Well our concerts have only gotten better." He said cockily. "I'll put you both front and center with bodyguards so you don't get pushed around. That way you can get the full experience."

"Okay, fine. I hope Kaito sleeps for a while longer."

"Why?" Sasuke looked at her puzzled.

"It's nice just talking, the two of us. We don't do this often." Sasuke made a grunt of approval. "Was it true what you said on that show?" Sasuke turned over to look at her.

"Which part?"

"The part where you said you might want more kids?" Hinata had no idea where this bluntness came from but her interest was too great to hold back.

"Yeah, I guess. I never really thought about it until she asked me that. But I sincerely doubt I'll find a woman as wholesome as you have to have a child with." Hinata's whole face heated up at that comment. She tried to come up with a response but fumbled entirely.

"Maybe we could just have one more. We already know each other inside and out. And we always have fun in the bedroom together, neither of us were left unsatisfied in the past." He smirked at her, watching her squirm and fail to form sentences. He crawled over to Hinata and started getting on top of her on the couch. By this time Hinata's entire body erupted in a dark shade of red. She tried to avoid looking at him but was failing miserably.

"So Hinata how about that baby number two?" He purred as he started nuzzling her neck.

"Sasuke I don't think-"

"Dogpile!" A tiny little blur of blue and black appeared out of nowhere and jumped on the two of them. Their own son had foiled Sasuke's plans of seduction but when Hinata looked at him, he wasn't upset about it at all. He just rolled his eyes above their son's head and played with him and Hinata on the couch. Each parent taking turns tickling their little boy. That was close, Hinata thought. One more minute and she thought for sure she would have gone with whatever the charming Sasuke wanted.

* * *

A/N: So thank you SOOOOO much to everyone who reviewed this story. It really gives me validation that you love this concept as much as I do, which only makes this easier to write. And don't expect updates every two days but I will try and keep a quick pace for updating as much as possible. And I've gotten a lot of concern about Sasuke's relationship with Sakura and what that will mean for Hinata. So I don't want to spoil anything but Sasuke and Hinata have been divorced for several years now and since they are not together he's free game. HOWEVER, Sasuke would never lie to Hinata, he's not the type of character to lie, in fact he's rather blunt, so when he says him and Sakura are nothing, it's nothing to him. But this is a happy story and will have a happy ending. It's just going to have to be angsty for a while because Hinata's a pining idiot and may or may not be seeing him in a new light. Okay sorry for the long note but I just thought I should explain myself lol. Chapter 3 should be up soon!


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday night arrived sooner than Hinata liked. Kaito was dressed in all black with a Shock of Black t-shirt. Hinata was wearing a more adult version of practically the same outfit except she had a choker around her neck.

"Are you ready to go?" Hinata looked down at her little man. He looked determined.

"Yeah! Daddy rock on!" He stuck his tongue out and tried and failed to make the infamous rock signal with his hands. Hinata smothered a laugh. Sasuke must have taught him that, she deduced. She grabbed their overnight bag and Kaito's hand once the door was locked.

"That's a biiiiiig car!" Kaito exclaimed. Hinata turned and looked and witnessed the gigantic Hummer limo pull up in front of their house.

"Daddy rented us a limo." She told him. "Nice." She also muttered under her breath.

"Limo?" He cocked his head at her.

"That's a limo." She pointed her finger at the monstrosity. She smiled as the driver got her bag and smiled at the two of them. The driver opened the door for them and Hinata and Kaito thanked him.

"Mr. Uchiha wants you to have the best. Please enjoy the presents and I'll keep the petition up for you and your privacy but just knock if you need me." He smiled again and closed the door. Kaito was so busy running around the limo, she missed the presents at first.

There were two gold presents on the seats. The one labeled for Kaito had a blue ribbon on it. She opened it and smiled at the giant clunky headphones that would protect his ears. She was glad he remembered. The one meant for her had a pink ribbon. She cautiously opened it, not knowing what it could be. It was probably lingerie, she guessed. Thankfully she was wrong because it was a bottle of her favorite champagne. She immediately poured herself a glass.

The next few hours passed by in a blur. She almost drank the entire bottle while Kaito played with his toys on the seat. She was glad he was so occupied with those toys because she wasn't very talkative. She was incredibly nervous about seeing the band again and dealing with his rabid fans.

The limo pulled up to the backside of the arena and when the door opened Sasuke poked his head in.

"Well hello there!" He said happily at Kaito. Their son dropped all his toys and ran to him. "I see you've been enjoying my gift." He said to Hinata as he picked up Kaito. Hinata fumbled with the toys but was finally able to put them all in their bag.

"Mmmm, it was a nice gift. Thank you." She almost slurred.

"Mmmm, you're welcome." He teased. He helped Hinata out of the limo and saluted their driver. Hinata followed him to the backstage area and her stomach clenched. She didn't know if she was ready to see the band members again or not. For all she knows, she could be the biggest bitch in the world per Sasuke's side of events. They walked underneath the stadium and went back into the band's area for getting ready. They all had their own separate rooms to get ready but it seemed that they were all hanging out in the common room.

"Hey Hinata and little man are here!" A loud voice erupted from the room. Naruto, the band's lead guitarist, came through and picked up Kaito and swung him around. He beamed over at Hinata, making her flush. She missed the dark look Sasuke sent over to Naruto. The blonde man was still playing with Kaito when the other band members walked over to Hinata and gave her a hug. She used to be the band's biggest groupie when her and Sasuke were together so she already knew all of them.

There was Gaara, Kisame, as well as Juugo. Gaara was the other guitarist. Kisame played the drums and he was the most playful, inappropriate one among them. Juugo was quiet but he was the band's bassist. And Gaara, the most responsible, was the band's rhythm guitarist. The five of them together were an unlikely group but for some reason they had fit so well together, they never looked back.

They all came up and hugged Hinata and murmured things to her about how happy they were to see her and for looking after Kaito. She even got a few remarks about begging to come over and play with their son. She laughed and invited them all over because they were more than welcome to.

Naruto put down Kaito who was now being picked up and passed around the other members. The blonde came over and hugged Hinata and joked around with her. He could probably see the tension/anxiety rolling off her, she thought.

"So Hinata, how is work? Still trying to teach those youngsters something bright and early in the morning?" He asked with a grin.

"I'm trying." She said with a small smile.

"That's gotta be trying, I'm sure. I'm glad I never had to go to college, school was the worst." He admitted and made Hinata laugh, which only encouraged him to smile wider.

"Dumbass, you would have flunked high school if you didn't copy my homework." Sasuke said from the other side of the room.

"Hey I recall you needing to be tutored for one of your classes, dipshit!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing his finger.

"Yeah, for calculus. You barely graduated algebra." The other man retorted.

Hinata watched them go back and forth with each other. The squabbles that they had between each other could last an entire day. Even though they squabbled like this, Hinata knew that Sasuke loved Naruto like a brother. Everything was a competition between the two of them. They were the band's songwriters and they always tried to see who could write the better song.

Hinata sighed and slumped on one of the sofas. She pulled out her champagne bottle and started drinking straight from it.

"Damn, Hinata's ready to get crazy tonight." Naruto remarked and Sasuke smirked at her.

"I didn't see any cups anywhere." She flushed red in embarrassment.

"Honey, they're right here." Naruto pointed out the cups to her but she just shrugged and continued with doing what she was doing. The boys just laughed and continued talking to each other while occasionally picking up Kaito and playing with him.

She was glad Kaito was having the time of his life because it's not every day you get to hang out with the most popular rock band in the nation, not to mention they all were basically his uncles. She needed to let loose because it had been a while since she had. She didn't even remember the last time she got drunk, not that, that was her goal. She just needed to be a little tipsy. She would be with security 24/7 tonight so she could handle being a tiny bit under the influence.

Suddenly a tall man with silver hair came in through the door. He peeked over on the couch and his eyes widened when he saw Hinata.

"Well hello there. Long time no see." He walked over to her and bent over to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Are you keeping these boneheads in their place?" She giggled at that.

"I'm trying to." She said with a smile. He smiled at that and then walked over to Sasuke and Naruto about something about the show. Hinata watched the three of them talk while finishing her bottle. It was so funny seeing Sasuke and Naruto so serious whenever Kakashi was around. He was like a father figure to the two men and they couldn't have picked a better person. Kakashi was a jokester but he was the wisest person Hinata had ever met. Gaara came in a close second but she had never met anyone like Kakashi. She was always glad that he was their manager because he was the best one for the job. It took a lot to wrangle five different personalities and keep the band together. Suddenly Sasuke was walking over to her.

"Okay it's time for you guys to get ready and head out. Leave the bag here. We can put it in my room. Keep your cell on you just in case." He told Hinata. He picked up Kaito and looked him in the eyes.

"Kaito you need to listen to me right now." He nodded at his dad. "Okay good. You and Mommy are going to the front of the stage and there are going to be a lot of people around you, so no running around okay?" He furrowed his brow at Sasuke but nodded adamantly. "Good. I also need you to wear a very special set of headphones. It'll protect your ears okay?" He nodded again. "Okay. I will see you in a little bit okay? Be good for Mommy." He kissed him on his forehead and then introduced Hinata to the bodyguards that would be with her the entire night.

"If you lose either of them I will make sure not only will your balls be cut off but you will never work Security for the rest of your life. Do I make myself clear?" His voice was as cold as ice and it cut Hinata down to the bone. She had never seen him that threatening before.

"Yes boss." They all said to him, wearing equally as serious expressions.

"Good." He said dismissively and suddenly Hinata and Kaito were shuffled off towards the entrance of the arena. Hinata held her son's hand tightly and put his headphones around her neck for safe keepings. They arrived right in front of the stage like Sasuke promised. She could have easily gotten up there too if she wanted to.

It was hard keeping the attention of a toddler for more than an hour without any toys and for a while all he did was nap on her. People erupted from the doors and crowded all around them but thankfully they didn't push and shove them. The burliness of the bodyguards that surrounded them, made it impossible for the other fans to get to them, which Hinata was grateful for. In the past, usually Hinata just stayed behind the scenes and watched the band from the curtain but she thought Sasuke wanted to give their son the entire experience, which she could understand.

Finally, after two hours the lights around the stadium went out and the stage lit up with red, orange, and yellow lights. There was a curtain of the band's logo at the very front of the stage. Suddenly you could hear the guitar start strumming a familiar tune to all of the fans here. They all started screaming, which woke Kaito up. He looked around frantically and Hinata put the headphones on his ears just in time.

 _A company always on the run  
A destiny, oh it's the rising sun  
I was born, a shotgun in my hands  
Behind the gun  
I'll make my final stand, yeah  
That's why they call me_

The curtain pulled up and the band was fully on display for the crowd. So many people were screaming for them, including Hinata. Sasuke was front and center singing their most famous cover.

 _Bad company  
I can't deny  
Bad, bad company  
Till the day I die  
Until the day I die_

 _Until the day I die_

Kaito was moved to Hinata's shoulders and she could feel him rocking back and forth. Flames erupted from the stage and she could feel him startle on top of her. She just smiled as she continued singing along with the lyrics. Sasuke walked along the stage singing and high-fiving with his fans as he continued singing. Once the song was over he welcomed the crowd.

"How's everybody doing out there tonight?!" They all erupted in screams and Hinata could hear a few "I love you's!" coming from a few people behind her, which made her laugh.

"Are you ready to rock?!" He yelled into the microphone. Again, more screams answered in response.

"Good because we plan on putting on an amazing show tonight so let's get started!" He screamed back.

"Daddy!" She heard Kaito yell on top but obviously Sasuke couldn't hear him. They played a few more fast pace songs with all different kinds of lightshows, which made it even more entertaining. Suddenly the pace got a lot more somber and a new slower song began. Hinata didn't recognize it, which meant that no one had heard it before. She frowned at that. Were they starting a new album?

 _I never should have left you all alone in that big home_

 _But when the time came to stay or leave_

 _I was pushed to the side for your goals and your dreams_

 _Never did fit in that picture-perfect reality_

Hinata's breath caught. Was this about her? She never would have imagined him writing a song about her right now. She didn't know if she was ready to hear the lyrics or not.

 _You were my angel_

 _Always gonna be_

 _Never be the same girl_

 _No more you and me_

 _The night is getting dark and_

 _Our chapter's coming to a close_

 _Don't want you to walk away from me_

 _But I'm starting to lose hope cause_

 _You were my beginning and my end_

 _But now we're just friends_

 _And I'm dying to see_

 _How the ending is for you and me_

 _I need to walk away_

 _But all I want you to do is stayyyyy_

 _Stay with me_

 _Stay with me_

He walked front and center stage, right in front of Hinata and their son and sang, looking at her in the eyes as he played with Kaito's hands. She stood there awestruck. His dark eyes piercing hers and she forgot that there were thousands of fans surrounding them. In that moment, it was just the two of them. It had been the most intimate moment the two of them had ever shared. She had never felt anything else like it. She was so close to him she could see the beads of sweat rolling down his temple and the stains in his black shirt that were damp. His body radiated heat and she was caught in the fire.

 _My heart's gone cold and my feelings are numb_

 _Everything around me is moving so fast_

 _No longer am I under the tip of your thumb_

 _But I wish everything we had would last_

 _You were my angel_

 _Always gonna be_

 _Never be the same girl_

 _No more you and me_

 _The night is getting dark and_

 _Our chapter's coming to a close_

 _Don't want you to walk away from me_

 _But I'm starting to lose hope cause_

 _You were my beginning and my end_

 _But now we're just friends_

 _And I'm dying to see_

 _How the ending is for you and me_

 _I need to walk away_

 _But all I want you to do is stayyyyy_

 _Stay with me_

 _Stay with me_

 _Stay with me_

 _You were my angel_

 _Always gonna be_

 _Never be the same girl_

 _No more you and me_

 _Oh won't you stay with me?_

The crowd erupted in cheers and Hinata stood there gaping like a fish. There was no way that song was about her. Asking her to stay? They've been split up for years! And if that song wasn't about her, then why the hell was he singing it to her? Her mind was running a mile a minute and she couldn't tell whether to be pissed, sad, or just ignore it. Was she overthinking it? Well, whatever he meant, she definitely was not expecting that.

Their set lasted two and a half hours and Hinata tried to enjoy every minute of it. But the toddler was zonked out in her arms and he was definitely not the lightest thing. She didn't want to ask the bodyguards to hold him but she didn't want to trouble them. So, every song, Hinata prayed it was the last one. When they were finally done, encore and everything, she sighed a heavy sigh when the people started pouring out the doors and she could finally leave.

She followed the bodyguards back to the backstage area and was thankful to see Sasuke and the rest of the guys. He looked at her and quickly walked over to them.

"Hey what did you think?" She smiled tiredly at him.

"It was amazing." She paused. "Um I hate to do this because you just finished your show but my arms are killing me. Can you please take him?" She begged him and he immediately picked up their son and threw him on his shoulder. She cried in relief.

"Thank you so much. Can we just go back to the hotel? I'm not really ready to party tonight, I'm not used to staying up this late." She tried to smile but yawned instead. He laughed.

"Sure, we can go back. Let me just grab your stuff and I'll say bye to the guys." He walked off with their son while Hinata collapsed on the ground. Naruto came bounding over to her and sat with her on the ground.

"Hey how did you like the show?" He asked, beaming.

"I loved it. It was so amazing. It's really cool to see how much you guys have grown as artists and how far you've come. I remember the day when you were all dreaming about booking a gig as big as this and tonight it was completely sold out. You guys are amazing." She said the last part through a yawn and he looked at her thoughtful.

"Yeah we have come a really long way. Thanks for being here tonight. I know it not only meant a lot to Sasuke but to the rest of us too. We all miss your presence and Kaito's presence too. You need to come more often." He winked at her and then got back up. "Don't be a stranger! I'll see you tomorrow!" He said as he retreated back to the guys. She saw Sasuke come back with a frown on his face looking at Naruto. He had her bag in the unoccupied hand and she tried to swipe it from him to relieve him but he just pulled it from her.

"I got it. Let's go." He said hotly. She obeyed silently and got into one of their more ambiguous cars. She could tell he was silently fuming but for what she had no idea.

"Are you okay?" She timidly asked. His hands gripped the wheel tighter.

"Fine." He retorted.

"Thank you for having us tonight. It was fun seeing you back on the stage." He looked over at that with a softer look than before.

"I'm glad you guys could come."

"Can I ask you a question though?" He nodded silently. "Okay well that slow song that you played in the middle of the set? What was that about?" She asked quietly.

"It's just something I've had in the back of my mind for a while. I thought tonight was a good night to play it." He shrugged.

"Is it about me?"

"You know you are the muse for a lot of our songs, right?" He asked amused.

"Yeah but this just seemed _more_ than what you usually do." She tried to explain it but it was hard to.

"We're here. I'll take you to your room and put him down." He cut her off. Obviously, his mood had soured. Was the song really that sore of a subject? What was she missing?

* * *

A/N: So I'm addicted to this story right now and I'm trying to crank out as much as possible because my sister's staying with me tonight and for the next few days which means I won't be writing or posting a new chapter until she leaves lol. So thankful for the feedback and the faves/follows. You guys rock (pun intended)


	4. Chapter 4

At some point in the night, Kaito had crawled into bed with Hinata and she just accepted this and cradled him in her arms. His little puffs of breath against her, warmed her heart. She was so glad for him, she didn't want to think about her life if he wasn't in it. Even though he was an accident, she loved him with all of her heart. Everything she did, she did for him. She snuggled even closer to him and closed her eyes and dreamt a fuzzy dream about rock stars and talk shows.

When morning woke, her beloved son was wiggling in her arms.

"Mama can't breathe!" Barely awake, she pulled away from him and he dramatically gasped for air. If her eyes were open, she would have rolled them.

"Mama I want to see Daddy! Let's get breakfast." Hinata hummed and tried to ignore him crawling all over her. She furrowed under the blankets so he whispered in her ear about all the things he wanted to do that day. She grunted and finally got up.

"Okay but let's get you dressed and ready to go first." She walked over to their bag and pulled out his clothes for the day and he excitedly put them on. Well there was a first for everything, she thought. While she also got ready for breakfast in the bathroom there was a knock on the door. She hurriedly put on a robe and walked out to open the door to a nervous looking Naruto.

"Hey guys! Um I wanted to see if you wanted to have breakfast with the rest of us this morning. We're about to head out again but we usually eat breakfast at the hotels, if we can manage." Hinata was quite shocked at that.

"Um sure we can. Where's Sasuke?"

"Yeah that's kind of why I'm here. He's a bit preoccupied at the moment. He'll meet us later, maybe." He added hesitantly.

"Okay we'll be ready in about five minutes." Hinata said before saying goodbye to him.

"Daddy's not coming?" Kaito asked sadly.

"I'm not sure. Daddy's busy right now but you can see all your uncles okay?" He beamed at that.

"Okay!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her quickly out of their room. She tried keeping up with her son but failed exponentially. She ran with him and almost stumbled on the carpet when a pair of hands caught her.

"Whoa there! You okay?" Naruto's sunny face warmed her instantly.

"Yeah I'm fine. Where's Kaito?" She asked nervously.

"Gaara's got him." His thumb pointed where her little boy was talking animatedly and Gaara was listening very intently to what was being said.

"Come on let's get some grub." Naruto pulled on her forearm and they weaved towards their table where the band sat save for their lead singer. She sat nestled between Naruto and Kakashi while Kaito was sitting in Gaara's lap coloring on a piece of paper the waitress had given him.

She caught up with the band's latest gossip from their dating lives to what was up with all of their families. It was so nice to fit back into the amazing picture they painted. She was afraid that once her and Sasuke had gotten divorced that all the ties she had with them would be severed for good but it looked like she was being irrational in her thoughts.

While she was talking to Kisame she noticed him look over her shoulder and his eyes widened hysterically. She tried to turn her head but Kisame was distracting her with questions until Kaito got up and ran from Gaara's lap. She followed his movements, ready to take off after him until she saw that she was running straight into Sasuke's arms. What she wasn't expecting was the pink haired woman next to him looking at him with awe.

"Oh my gosh Sasuke he is so cute!" She squealed and she could tell that Kaito was extremely hesitant about Sakura who was now clinging onto Sasuke. His head pulled back as she got closer and he even narrowed his eyes at her. She also witnessed Sasuke switch Kaito to the other side of him, farther from Sakura and hold onto their son just a smidge tighter than normal.

What was Sakura doing there? Did Sasuke invite Sakura over once Hinata and Kaito got settled into their room last night? And she definitely didn't appreciate the extreme emotions she was feeling watching Sakura eye her child like a damn hyena. It was almost like she was willing herself to be a part of his life already. Hinata clenched her fist around her knife, unknowingly.

Hinata's mood must have been affecting the entire table because she heard Kakashi clear his throat which caused Sasuke to look up. His face twisted into something unrecognizable. Hinata could feel her face heat up and was about to stand up until Kakashi kept a steady grip on her forearm.

"Don't leave. You're the one we want to spend time with." Kakashi said quietly enough to where Sakura couldn't hear but she narrowed her eyes at the older man, getting the gist of what he was trying to say. But it looked like Sakura had nowhere to be other than with Sasuke. Hinata shrugged off Kakashi's hand and gave him a small smile.

"It's okay. I have some things to do anyways. I won't be a stranger I promise." She looked at each of them. "I don't know if I'll see you later today but if I don't, thank you for spending time with us. It was fun seeing you at the concert. You all have grown so much and I appreciate catching up with all of you. Please let me know if and when you want to come over. You are all more than welcome in our household." She hugged each of them and afterwards walked over to where Sasuke and Sakura were standing, trying to calm her nerves.

"When you're done with him, just let me know. You know where my room is." She didn't miss the nasty look that Sakura gave Sasuke and she strolled out of the dining area, willing her tears not to fall.

"Nice going dipshit." She heard Naruto comment behind her and for once Sasuke had no retort.

She made her way back to the hotel room and immediately decided that she should splurge on herself and take a luxurious bath. She never was able to take baths with Kaito around and even when he wasn't she always felt rushed when she took one. So, she was going to relax if it killed her.

She sighed when she submerged herself under all the bubbles. It felt like heaven and this was definitely distracting her from the thought of another woman maybe stepping in and taking her place. She frowned. Okay so maybe it wasn't doing as good of a job as she thought. She slipped a little further into the tub.

She didn't want Kaito to have a step mom just yet. She knew Sasuke said it wasn't serious with Sakura but if that was the case then why did he invite her to stay at the hotel when he had also invited Hinata? Had he wanted the two to meet officially? That didn't sound like something Sasuke would do. Did she invite herself? Hinata didn't know much about Sakura except that she was a talented actress. Should she do some research? She didn't want their son hanging out a woman who wasn't trustworthy. She needed to not be judgmental about the situation, she decided. The part that was getting under her skin the most was how Sasuke was acting. He was so hot and cold.

First, he tries to seduce her just last week and now he brings his new girlfriend after the amazing night her and Kaito had together at his concert, at his suggestion? She was starting to get whiplash and she was not having it. Maybe Kiba was right. She might need to move on to get over whatever she was feeling for her ex-husband. She ducked her head under the water and held her breath. It was so quiet under the water, it was so peaceful. It would remind her of the days where her and her sister would have breath-holding contests at their family pool back home. She needed to contact Hanabi soon or-

A hand grasped her arm and pulled her out of the water. She immediately covered her breasts and glared at a pale face.

"Sasuke!" She gasped. She tried to make sure he couldn't see anything so she tried to dip lower into the water. Her heart was racing a mile a minute at the unwanted intrusion. She was really regretting letting Sasuke getting the spare key to her room.

"What the hell were you doing?!" He snapped at her. She had finally noticed that he was soaked to the bone from her splashing out of the tub. Good, she thought.

"I was just underwater for a second." She tried to calmly explain. He crossed his arms.

"That was longer than a second!" She rolled her eyes.

"Get out of the bathroom!" Any other time he would have smirked at her and ignored that statement, but not this time it seemed.

"No. Why did you storm away like that?" Concern seemed to be rolling off him in waves.

"I didn't want to ruin your party and the bath was calling my name. But now it's been ruined, so thank you for that. I appreciate your concern but please leave unless you have something important to tell me." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Hmm, no hickeys on his neck this time it would appear, she thought.

"Me and the guys are taking Kaito to the mall for an hour or so and then I'll bring him back. Okay? Sorry about the bath, you just freaked me out." He murmured that last part quietly. She noticed how he specifically said 'the guys' instead of 'the group'.

"I'm fine Sasuke. Don't worry about me. Go have fun with Kaito while you can." He looked like he wanted to say more to her but didn't press it as he backed away and turned for the door.

"Those bubbles didn't cover up much by the way." He said as he walked out the door and she turned bright red when she noticed the bubbles had moved from where they started. She sank deeper into the bath. She had suddenly wished the tub would swallow her whole and take her somewhere other than there. Once he finally left, she shrank back into the bath and tried to find solace in the now tepid water. Unsurprisingly, she was unable to relax.

The next hour or two passed pretty quickly. She didn't bring any assignments to grade with her because she thought her and Kaito would be long gone by then so she flipped on the television. She grunted and immediately changed the channel when she saw a familiar pink head of hair.

She settled on some television documentary series about the planet. The man's British voice had lulled her into a light sleep because the next thing she knew was Kaito waking her up and Sasuke smirking at her.

"Hey bud what did you and Daddy do?" She asked as she willed herself to wake up.

"Shopping! He bought me cool shoes!" She looked up at Sasuke and he shrugged.

"And a few other things."

"Did you thank him?" Kaito nodded fervently and she smiled.

"Okay well Mommy is tired and wants to go home. Are you ready to leave?" She saw their son's eyes water and her eyes watered as well. This was the absolute worst part about co-parenting with Sasuke.

"Hey bud please don't cry. I will see you again real soon, okay? Mommy will take good care of you, like she always does. Let's pack up your stuff okay?" He nodded with silent tears rolling down his still chubby cheeks. The next ten minutes were tense and very quiet. Not even Kaito was saying anything. Sasuke wouldn't put Kaito down the entire time. Hinata grabbed their bag and followed the two out to their more modest car that was about to drive them home.

"I love you Kaito, please don't ever forget that." Sasuke said quietly as he looked their son in the eyes. She busied herself with putting the car seat in while also putting their bags in the back but she could hear every word said between father and son.

"I love you too." Kaito said quietly. "Do you have to go?" He mumbled, voice thick with tears again.

"I'm sorry. I'll be back as soon as I can. Please be good for your mom. She does a lot for you. Help her out while I'm gone, okay?"

"Yes Daddy." Kaito tried to sound strong but the big droplets rolled down his cheeks and she could tell even Sasuke was starting to be affected. She knew this was always the hardest thing he would always do. She watched him buckle their son in his car seat and then bent down to kiss Kaito on the forehead and wiped away his tears with his thumbs. He quietly shut the door and waved to him through the car window. Kaito sadly waved back. Hinata was surprised he wasn't having a full on break down right now. Unfortunately, that was more often the case than not.

"I hate doing that." He said simply. Hinata gave him a hug in response. She tried to pull away after a few seconds but he just held on to her.

"Every time I see him I just want to quit the band and run away with the two of you somewhere secluded and live the rest of our days in peace." He murmured into her hair and she squeezed him tighter.

"You know you wouldn't be happy doing that. You love what you do." She said simply. He gave a wet laugh.

"I know but it's a nice dream, isn't it?" She hummed in response. "Let me know when you get home. I'll contact you in a few days. There's something I want to talk to you about but I need to make sure the details are hammered out with the band before I let you know."

"You know I hate surprises." She said into his shoulder.

"I know. It's nothing bad. The band is thinking about taking a break." He whispered.

"What?" She pulled back to look at his face. He was extremely serious.

"Don't worry. It wouldn't be permanent. But everyone's a little tired from touring 24/7 and we're all a little homesick. We were thinking about taking six months off before even thinking about returning to work. It's a bit up in the air at the moment." Her jaw hung open and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you yet. Nothing is certain as of right now but I just thought I would give you a heads up. I'll know more by the end of the month." She nodded dumbly and he smiled.

"Alright, well you guys should head out. It's getting late. Thanks for coming, I had fun and I know the guys were glad to see you two."

"It was good seeing them too and it was an amazing concert. Thank you for everything." He smiled at her before kissing her on the forehead, something he hadn't done since they had Kaito.

"Bye Hinata." He turned and went back into the hotel while waving lazily to her.

"Bye Sasuke." She said quietly, watching him walk away.

She got into the car next to Kaito and watched the driver pull away. Not even a few minutes later her phone started buzzing. She frowned when she saw Naruto's name blaring at her on the screen. She wondered what Naruto was doing calling her.

"Naruto?" She asked with curiosity leaking into her voice.

"Hey Hinata! I forgot to ask you something when you were here. You kind of bolted at breakfast so I didn't know how to ask." He said sheepishly through the phone.

"Ask me what?" Did he want to hang out with Kaito and her? He was basically Sasuke's brother so the thought made sense.

"Um, I don't know how to start really?" He hesitated before taking a deep breath and resuming. "I always had a crush on you in high school before Sasuke asked you out but after that I tried not to look at you that way again because bro code, you know? But now that he's kind of doing his own thing, I was wondering if I could take my chance and ask you on a date?" She dropped the phone in response. After a few seconds, she realized what she did and scurried to pick it back up.

"Hinata?" He asked worriedly. "It's okay if you don't want to. I totally understand. I was trying to give you time when you guys split and Sasuke always seemed hung up on it but I think he's finally moving on and I want to help you move on too. No pressure, I'm not asking for your hand in marriage or anything. I just want one night to treat you to a night out on the town, that's all!" He kept stammering and freezing, seeming unsure with his words. She flinched a couple times because he was so blunt sometimes but her face was flaming red. Naruto had a crush on her in high school? She never even realized it. She was always so focused on studies before Sasuke barged into her life.

"Hinata? Are you going to say something?" His voice got a little bit higher with that question.

"Yes, I will." She breathed.

"Awesome. I'll text you days of when I'm available and then we can find a day that works for you. This is so great. I'll talk to you soon. I have to go. Bye Hinata!" She told him goodbye and just stared at her phone while trying to process what had just happened.

If Sasuke was starting to move on with his life than it was time that she move on too. Besides, if anyone was deserving a little bit of fun and happiness, it was definitely her.

* * *

A/N: Okay so I rushed out this chapter as soon as possible because it's almost been two weeks since the last update, for that I'm sorry. I will NEVER abandon this story. I love it way too much. And I just wanted to give you all an FYI-if you guys ever give me a review or message me I will always respond. I love talking to you guys about this story and hearing what you have to say. If you guys take the time out of your precious day to give me feedback I will definitely take time out of mine to respond. It may take me a while to respond to everyone but I definitely will. You guys are awesome. Thank you for all the reviews/follows/faves. It was funny because when my sister came over she saw some of the pages I had handwritten while I was at work and she was like "ew gross why couldn't your story be about Naruto and Hinata. Hinata and Sasuke aren't meant to be" and I was just like "oh you sweet summer child you have no idea" lol. And clearly you guys agree with me. Next chapter will probably be up this weekend! 3


	5. Chapter 5

"So, wait, let me get this straight. You need to have Kurenai babysit for you tonight because you have a date? And not only a date, but a date with your ex-husband's best friend who also happens to work with him every day. And on top of all of that, Sasuke has no idea?" Kiba asked incredulously. Hinata looked at Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai across the faculty break room and nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah pretty much. Although Sasuke might know, Naruto could have told him." She clarified as she pointed a fork at Kiba.

"But you're not going to tell him even if you think he knows?" She nodded at that. "Man, I would hate to be Naruto when Sasuke finds out. He is going to flip his shit." Kurenai shot Kiba a dirty look and then smiled at Hinata.

"Hinata I would love to have Kaito with me and Mirai. You know Mirai adores him. And I wouldn't worry about Sasuke. Just go have fun tonight. Even if it turns out to be nothing with Naruto, I think it's important for you to enjoy yourself. You're always a mother first and a single woman second and I think tonight it needs to be switched." She winked at her and Hinata felt immensely better.

"Thanks. I will try to at least. And thank you for watching Kaito on such short notice, it was just the only night that worked for the two of us." Kurenai waved her off, obviously not bothered by it.

"Kurenai's right, Hinata. You should have some fun." Shino's quiet voice stated.

"Thanks Shino, I will." She glanced at her watch and grimaced. "I have to go. I will let you know when I'm headed to your house to drop Kaito off." She told Kurenai and the older woman just smiled at her in response.

Hinata hurried to the daycare to pick up Kaito and then to their house to get ready. Kaito talked her ear off the entire way back and she nodded and replied absently as the butterflies wreaked havoc in her stomach.

She couldn't stop thinking about her date and how nervous she was. She had known Naruto most of her life and the fact that he always saw her in a romantic light the entire time made her head feel fuzzy. He was always a wonderful friend to her and even after her and Sasuke got divorced he still reached out to her every once and a while. But now she figured it made sense with what he told her. The more time went on the more unsure she felt.

What if the date went horribly? What if he decided it wasn't what he wanted? She shook her head. No, there was no pressure tonight. It was just like Kurenai had told her, she needed to have fun and relax tonight even if it went nowhere with Naruto. She took a deep breath and tried to steady her thoughts and feelings.

They finally made it back to their house and she set Kaito down so she could start getting ready. She heard Kaito talking to himself while he was playing with his toys in his bedroom. She ran to her bathroom to start applying makeup.

She frowned at her makeup collection. There were so many things she hadn't even touched like foundation and setting powder. She never put on this much makeup usually. Oh well, here goes nothing, she thought. After several tries at winged liner she gave up and decided to go for a simpler eye look. She pulled back and deduced that this was as good as it was going to get. She looked pretty enough to declare her makeup endeavors a success.

Now the next big obstacle was what to wear. She should have gotten her friends opinions before she left them earlier but it was too late. She swept through her entire closet before deciding on a red dress and red pumps. It might have been a little much for a first date but she knew this wasn't some ordinary first date. She shimmied into her dress with success but struggled with her zipper. After a bit of bouncing around and stretching her arm to almost impossible limits, she finally was able to zip the dress up all the way. She looked in the mirror studying herself, still not sure if it was overdoing it but then she heard the doorbell ring before she could doubt her outfit anymore.

"Coming!" She shouted as she hurried to the door in her heels, almost falling once. She opened the door up and all she could see was a giant bouquet of white roses.

"What-" She started to say but suddenly the flowers lowered and she could see a sunny head of hair and an even brighter smile.

"Oh, wow Hinata you look beautiful." Naruto gushed. She was pretty sure her face was now rivaling the color of her dress.

"Thank you. Are those for me?" She asked dumbly.

"Of course! And sorry I'm early I just wanted to see the little man before you dropped him off." She nodded and took the flowers from him and opened the door so he could come in. She looked guiltily around her house. There were a few toys littered around the living room and a couple pillows on the floor but it was too late to tidy up now. "Please come in." She added with a smile while she turned her back and headed towards the kitchen to set her flowers in a vase.

"Mama who's there?" She heard Kaito come out of his room and he squealed and ran up to Naruto when he saw who it was. She took a moment to look at Naruto and he was dressed almost as nice as she was. He had on a pair of black slacks and a grey dress shirt. She was glad that he took this night just as seriously as she did.

"Hi Uncle!" Naruto laughed and gave him a hug and set him on his hip as they watched Hinata in the kitchen.

"Mama you look pretty." Kaito said with wide eyes. Kaito was definitely not used to seeing her look like this. Even when she went to work it was always with minimal makeup and jeans and a blouse. She hadn't worn a dress since Kaito was born because there was never a need to wear one.

"Thank you, baby. We're going to Mirai's house okay? Kurenai is going to watch you tonight." Kaito frowned at that.

"Why?" That had been his favorite word lately. He was always questioning everything.

"Because Mommy and Uncle are going to dinner to catch up. I'll come back and pick you up after." She said softly and his eyes started watering up.

"Is Uncle going to be my new daddy?" He asked with a wobbly voice. Horror struck Naruto's face and guilt struck Hinata's. Wow, what a way to start a date, she thought.

"No honey. Uncle and Mommy are friends. Just like Mommy is friends with Kurenai. Is that okay? Can I spend time with my friends?" Kaito nodded with a small smile on his face and then he smiled to Naruto. Hinata felt bad lying to him but she wasn't ready to address the future like that.

Hinata and Naruto took Kaito to Naruto's car and thankfully the little awkward moment hadn't totally ruined anything. They dropped Kaito off with Kurenai and the older woman sent a coy smile to Naruto as she wished for them to have fun.

"I'm really sorry about what happened with Kaito. I didn't mean for that to happen and I didn't want to reply honestly to Kaito. I hope you understand." Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop.

"It's okay. It was my fault. I didn't realize kids were so perceptive." He said with a grin and she laughed at that.

"He's a lot smarter than you would think. I just can't believe he came to that conclusion." She took a deep breath. "If this goes anywhere, I just don't want to tell him the truth for a while." She admitted quietly.

"I understand. Hinata you don't have to apologize for being a parent. I get it. Well, I mean I don't get it but I understand where you're coming from. Just do whatever you think is best. I'm not going anywhere." He pulled her again to go back to his car.

"Come on, I'm hungry." He groaned and Hinata laughed as she followed him. She was glad that she was spending the time with Naruto. She couldn't have asked for a more understanding person.

When they finally got to the restaurant, Naruto opened the car door for her as well as the restaurant door. It was a nice, small establishment that Hinata had never been to before. The strange thing was that even though it was a Thursday night, there were no other customers. She wondered why.

"Hey old man! I'm here!" Hinata gaped at Naruto and he just winked at her in response. She heard a groan in the back and a muttered voice following it. Suddenly an older man with long white hair in a ponytail came out and looked at Naruto in irritation.

"About time you showed up. I was about to reopen the restaurant." He griped and then looked at Hinata with an ogle. "Well hello beautiful. I don't think we've met. The name's Jiraiya." He grabbed Hinata's hand and kissed the back of it, causing Hinata to blush again. Naruto just pushed Jiraiya away and scolded him.

"Quit being gross. Hinata doesn't need to be tainted by your perverted ways. Oh, and this is Hinata." Naruto admitted carefully. "Now where do you want us to sit?"

They followed Jiraiya to a booth closer to the back where there was an excellent view of the bay area and the windows were a one-way view. He gave them both a menu and then left them to their own devices.

"How come no one else is here?" Hinata asked Naruto over her menu. He laughed and then rubbed the back of his neck.

"I may have pulled in a favor for tonight. I asked Jiraiya if we could have the entire restaurant for ourselves." She dropped her menu at that.

"What? Why?" He shrugged.

"For privacy, of course. I don't like it when people recognize me and snap photos of me when they think I'm not looking and I know you don't appreciate it either. Plus, the old man owes me a few favors and it's not hindering his business in any way. The guy is loaded he can afford a night off." He laughed and she just looked at him incredulously.

"Well I appreciate it because you are right. The solitude is nice. I've never experienced it like this." They smiled at each other and then talked to each other about the menu and what they were going to get. Jiraiya came to take their order and then walked away to make their food and they spent time catching up with each other.

It was nice because Naruto was asking her all kinds of questions about her life. Trying to soak in as much new information as he could. He was genuinely interested in what she was doing with her life and her family and everything else. She appreciated his interest because there was a certain someone who never asked her about her day or her job or her family. It was nice to finally have someone take interest in her.

Hinata had also asked him about the tour and tried to catch up with his life too. They both skirted around the name that they knew would take their date into uncomfortable territory. The one person who was the unspoken bond between the two and had an unseen presence over their entire night. Hinata knew she needed to tell Sasuke about this but she didn't even want to address the topic with him for a while because she didn't want to face the music. Not yet at least. She wanted just one magical night where she didn't think about her responsibilities. She just wanted one night to look into the bright blue eyes of her date and see nothing but care reflected back.

Their food came and it was delicious. Hinata made a mental note to return to the restaurant with her friends. The talking came to a minimum because they were very politely scarfing their food down.

"I'm really glad I had the chance to ask you out. And thank you for saying yes and making this night perfect." Naruto said with his cheeks stained pink.

"Thank you for everything." Hinata replied easily. They both smiled at each other before Naruto paid for the bill and they thanked Jiraiya for his hospitality. He made Hinata promise to visit him again soon and she laughed sweetly and agreed.

Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and they made their way back to his car. They reveled in the quiet of the night and she watched the city lights blur by. Naruto's sports car was extremely quiet and Hinata was glad for the small time of peace before going back to pick up Kaito.

Thankfully her son was passed out cold when they went to pick him up. Kurenai told them that he was an angel although a very talkative one and him and her daughter Mirai just played all night together. Hinata slumped him over her shoulder and thanked Kurenai for watching him. The older woman just hugged her and whispered into her ear she was glad she could help Hinata whenever she could.

The drive back to Hinata's house was a quick one and Hinata found herself panicking. She hoped Naruto didn't think they were going to spend the night together. She definitely wasn't ready for that, even though she wished she was.

"Do you want to come in for a second? I just have to put him down, which shouldn't take too long." She said quietly as she was getting Kaito and the car seat out of Naruto's car.

"Sure. Let me grab the car seat." Naruto took the seat out of her hands and they both made their way inside.

Hinata tucked Kaito in and he was out like a light. He must have played really hard with Mirai. Usually it took her at least fifteen minutes to get him ready for bed. She walked back out to the living room to find Naruto looking around. He saw her and smiled at her.

"I really like your house. It's really well decorated." He looked around at all the decorations. She smiled at the unique compliment.

"Thanks. I try to make it feel homey." He chuckled at that and then walked over to her.

"So, I need to get going but I was hoping we could do this again sometime." He sounded unsure and she saw a brief flicker of uncertainty in his expression. Her heart beat out of her chest as she moved her hands onto his shoulders. His eyes widened at the gesture and he gently put his hands on her hips in response.

"I would love that." She said quietly stepping a little closer.

"Can I kiss you?" Naruto blurted out and Hinata tried not to laugh.

"I was hoping you would." She said in response.

Very slowly Naruto encroached even further in her space and moved his hands to cradle her face. She closed her eyes and tipped her head up in response. Her heartrate sped up but she couldn't be bothered to be embarrassed. It had been too long since she felt this. His lips were a soft pressure against hers. She melted into it and encircled her arms tighter around the solid body against hers. He sighed in contentment as he applied more pressure and tilted his head for better access.

She reveled in this feeling. She missed what it felt like to be cherished just by a simple embrace. She missed the feeling of excitement rushing through her as she encountered a first kiss. She missed getting drunk on an entirely masculine scent engulfing her. But what she missed most was feeling like she was desirable. This man in front of her, cradling her like some precious rare treasure, was acting like he was dying and she was his last breath. And she missed feeling like this.

Unfortunately, the moment ended too soon and he was pulling away slowly. She opened her eyes and found him with the gentlest smile on his face. Neither of them made a move to pull away from each other.

"That was better than I could have ever imagined." He said with a grin and she laughed quietly. "I should probably get going, though. It's getting late and you have to work tomorrow." She nodded as she retracted her hands from his shoulders and she mourned the loss of the warmth of his hands.

"Thank you again. And for the flowers, they're beautiful."

"A beautiful woman deserves beautiful flowers." Her cheeks turned pink for the millionth time that night. She walked him to the door and when she opened it he turned around. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then grinned at her.

"I'll talk to you soon Hinata."

"Drive safe." She waved to him as he got into his car and drove off. She closed the door and then went to the kitchen to look at the roses. They were so beautiful and they smelled like heaven.

For the first time in a long time she was optimistic. There was this man who was the human personification of sunshine. He was so bright and such a glimmering beacon of hope. He was interested in her and he cared about her. He thought she was beautiful. And she couldn't wait to see him again.

* * *

A/N: Hi all! We're just getting started on this wild ride lol. So buckle up, we're just getting started. I feel like I'm going to get a ton of hate for this chapter but please remember Sasuhina will be the endgame couple. Have trust in this author! lol. And to all the guests that leave reviews, thank you all so much! I have no idea how to respond to you guys directly but I appreciate your reviews. Just enjoy the crazy ride that is this story. And as always I really appreciate the reviews/faves/follows. You guys are da best! 3


	6. Chapter 6

Hinata had been on cloud nine all week. She let her students get away with murder and she heard some of the ridiculous rumors floating around. She ignored all of them because nothing could take her away from this feeling.

Her and Naruto had been talking nonstop since their date the week before. He Facetimed her a few times and called her the times he couldn't see her. They texted non-stop besides when she had to teach class or he was busy with the band. She forgot what it was like to be in the early stages of dating someone. And it was nice because Naruto and her had known each other for so long that it wasn't awkward between them. They could just jump right into fun conversations about random topics and not feel weird about it.

She was also extremely grateful that Naruto was such a gentleman about this whole thing. He never pushed her into anything sexual or made her feel uncomfortable. He flirted with her in a very shy manner, which she appreciated. She had heard dating horror stories from coworkers of hers and she was thankful she was not put in that situation.

She made Shino, Kiba, and Kurenai all swear to secrecy because she didn't want anyone but her or Naruto to tell Sasuke that they were dating. Or in the beginning stages of dating. She had no idea what they were but she absolutely was in no rush to put a label on them. She knew what they had was delicate and she didn't want to move too fast and scare Naruto off. But she was still getting used to the idea of dating anyone and she didn't want to spook herself either.

Thankfully it was Friday and the weekend had arrived. She felt like the whole week had been a blur and she had been behind on grading everything. She crashed on the couch and watched Kaito play with his toys in the living room. Every now and then he would ask her a random question and she would respond.

She turned on the TV to the news and was surprised to see a familiar face.

"Daddy's on the TV!" Kaito exclaimed as he watched with interest. Hinata turned up the volume.

"And in other news, Lead singer of Shock of Black, Sasuke Uchiha and actress Sakura Haruno have broken up according to inside sources." Hinata's eyebrows raised at that. "The sources say that Sasuke is the one to have called it off and that Sakura is heartbroken over the fact. It is unclear if it is because Sasuke has found another love interest or if the pair just didn't work out." The male reporter said. The female reporter interjected.

"Well if he's single, please let me be first in line. I would love to get the chance to go on a date with that hot singer." Hinata rolled her eyes. She tried to push down the small flame of jealousy listening to some newswoman hit on him. She shouldn't be listening to this. She should be turning it off but she was so curious to see if they were going to say anything else about what happened. Unfortunately, they quickly switched to a different topic of the news and was disappointed she didn't get to hear anything else.

Would this just make it worse now that Sasuke was single? Would he be even more irritated that her and Naruto were starting to date now that Sakura wasn't distracting him? She didn't know if she should wait a little while longer to tell him in case it would hurt his feelings more or tell him sooner. This situation couldn't have been any stickier. Her phone started to ring and her pulse sped up, thinking it was Naruto. When she looked down at the screen though, she just saw Sasuke's name pop up on the screen asking if she wanted to Facetime. She frowned but answered.

"Hello." Hinata said quickly. Sasuke looked at her with a blank look.

"Hey I was wondering if I could talk to Kaito." She nodded and handed the phone over to their son on the floor.

"Hey buddy!" Sasuke exclaimed and Kaito lit up.

"Hi Daddy!" He yelled back. After a few moments though his face got pensive. "Daddy are you okay?"

"I'm okay, why Kaito?' Sasuke asked seriously. Hinata's heartbeat sped up. She hoped her son wouldn't out her to Sasuke about her and Naruto's date.

"The news lady said you got broke!" Their son said very seriously.

"What?" Sasuke asked in confusion. It took Hinata a couple moments to figure out what just happened and then she just started giggling.

"What's he talking about Hina?" Hinata got down on the floor behind Kaito, so Sasuke could see her.

"We just watched the news and they said you and Sakura broke up. I think that's what he's talking about." He rolled his eyes at that.

"Of course, that's what they're talking about. Don't they have anything better to do?" He asked in irritation. Kaito just looked at Sasuke confused.

"So, Daddy's not broke?" He asked in confusion. Sasuke laughed.

"No. Daddy's not broke." He said with a smile and it put their son at ease because he happily moved on to a different topic. She listened to the two of them talking for a while. She loved hearing the two of them talk. No one else got to see this sweet side of Sasuke but her. Only Kaito could turn him in to a ball of mush. She tried not to think about what it meant that him and Sakura are no longer together. She shouldn't care. It wasn't her business, but that didn't mean it was any easier to ignore the niggling feeling in the back of her mind. Sasuke's voice pulled her out of her head.

"Alright Kaito I love you but I need to speak to Mommy. Is that okay?" Sasuke asked gently and Kaito just nodded his head.

"Bye Daddy. Love you!" Sasuke replied back stating that he loved him too before Hinata grabbed the phone back from their son.

"Hey what's going on?" She asked nervously.

"Can we go in a different room?" Hinata started sweating nervously but nodded in compliance. She walked to her bedroom and closed the door. That couldn't be good. Her heart rate sped up at the possible confrontation they were about to have.

"Hey so remember what we talked about when you guys left the hotel?" She thought back and then remembered after a few seconds.

"About the band taking a break?" She said quietly. Maybe she was in the clear?

"Yeah. So, it's happening. The tour is going to be over in a month and then we're going on the break. Kakashi thinks that it should be six months but that's just a tentative timeline. He says we can extend it if we really want to but it's up to us when the time comes. We might have to meet once or twice in those six months but I'll be work free the majority of the time." Hinata gulped. She wasn't prepared for this to happen so soon.

"What does that mean for our situation?" She had been used to being mostly a single mother the entire time they raised Kaito. Sasuke had never been on a break this long and she wasn't sure how to feel about him coming in and taking Kaito away from the time she was used to having with him.

"Well that's what I'm calling about. I was thinking of buying a house in your neighborhood. That way Kaito can be kept close between the two of us." She frowned. Worry etched into her features. "What's wrong? I thought you would like that." She started tearing up.

"Hina? Come on. What's wrong?" She tried to stop the tears and succeeded at holding them at bay.

"It's just that I don't know if I'm ready to let him go half the time or more. It's a lot to process." She watched as his brows furrowed and his lips tightened. He was not very happy with her.

"Hinata I am going to want to see our son. I never get to see him. You think it's fair that even after I move back home that he's still kept away from me?" His face got even darker and the words were spit with venom. She failed to hold it together and started crying earnestly. She shook her head in response to him.

"That's not what I mean. I think there's a better way we can do this." Her voice thick with tears.

"What do you mean?" He sounded cautious.

"Wouldn't it just be easier for you to move in when you get back? You basically do that anyways when you're in town." His eyes widened at that. She could have sworn his cheeks were tinged with pink.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean I would love that but we haven't lived together in three years. You want me back as a roommate?" She nodded.

"I think it would be better than not seeing him all day every day. It would be easier on both of us I think." He looked at her uncertainly but sighed. A small smile taking over his face.

"Okay. But please think about it. I don't want you to make such a rash decision. We have a month to figure this out. I'd be more than happy to move back in but I don't want you to regret it."

"I'll think about it. But that's the solution I want right now." He pondered that for a second before his face turned softer.

"Okay. Good, I'm glad. How is school going?" Her eyes widened at that. He never asked her anything about her life. He stopped caring about her life a while ago.

"Good. I'm behind on grading papers but I'll be glad when everyone goes on break for a week. I think everyone needs it, including me." He started laughing at that.

"You're never behind on grading. I'm surprised." How did he know she was never behind? Did he pay attention to her more than she thought? That was impossible.

"Yeah well I think I'm just needing a break. This semester's harder than usual for some reason." She admitted with a frown. She didn't really notice it until she had voiced it out loud. She wondered why.

"Well just think. In another month, you'll be able to take whatever breaks you need because I'll finally take some responsibilities off your hands. You can do whatever you want because I will be there to pick up the pieces." He looked like he wanted to say more but didn't.

"Mmmm, that sounds nice. I can't wait for that. I'm going to sleep for a whole weekend when you get home." She leaned her head on her knees. She couldn't wait for the day Sasuke would come back and be the one to make dinner and take Kaito places. She was tired. She needed a break from being a single mother. She knew she would always have responsibilities but every now and then she just wanted to ignore them. Just once she would like to go out with friends and not worrying about picking up their son from daycare. Or timing her naps with Kaito's. Or eating whatever food Kaito wanted to eat.

"Hinata? What are you thinking about?" He asked with a smirk.

"Just imagining what I will do the first day you come home." She said softly.

"I bet. Listen I gotta go. Please think about what I said okay?" She nodded. "Okay bye Hinata."

"Bye Sasuke." He smiled at her before ending their video call. Wow she had to make a huge decision and she was not ready for it. But the more she thought about it the more sense it made. The only hurdle in that situation was Naruto. But she was smart enough to figure out some way to make all the pieces fit in the puzzle so to speak.

It honestly was the smartest thing Hinata could come up with in terms of sharing their child but the absolute worst idea when it comes to her potential relationship with Naruto. She could see that ending very, very horribly. Unless her and Naruto dated in secret and treated what they had like an affair, she didn't think living with Sasuke was a great idea. It could potentially ruin the entire dynamic.

Even if Naruto was okay with the entire situation and totally understood it, that was not a guarantee that Sasuke would be okay with Naruto coming over. And if Hinata knew anyone, she knew Sasuke. Kiba was right, he was going to flip his shit.

But she honestly couldn't imagine that scenario going any better with them living separately. She was a mom first and foremost, which meant Kaito was her priority. Even if Sasuke came home and lived with them and stole more moments with Kaito, their son would still be under her roof. It hurt her to even think about him spending the night in another house away from her. It made no sense but that was the way she was feeling.

Suddenly her phone started ringing again. When she looked down though her face pulled into a bright smile. She quickly answered and was greeted with an equally happy face.

"Hey Hinata! Is now a good time?" She nodded.

"Okay cool. Were you crying?" His brows scrunched together in concern.

"Yeah I'm fine. It's really nothing. How was your day?" She asked, trying to distract him. He then went on about his day and the woes of traveling in a bus with other men. He was able to make her laugh several times before he turned serious.

"Have you talked to Sasuke lately?"

"Yeah I have. Why?" She was startled at the sudden question.

"Okay. Did he tell you about what's happening with the band?" She nodded. "Well at least I don't have to tell you. I mean with him spearheading this entire thing, we were all kind of surprised he was feeling like that." Now she was just confused.

"What do you mean?" Naruto visibly gulped and sheepishly smiled.

"He probably didn't tell you that he was the one that wanted the break?" Her eyes widened at that.

"No, he said all of you wanted it. That you were all a little homesick?"

"Well I mean that part is true. We all kind of want a break but Sasuke was the first one to bring it up and he was the one who pushed for such a long break. And I have to admit I don't blame him. It must be hard being away from the little man." He added thoughtfully.

"I had no idea he was feeling like that." She mumbled. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. When they showed up at the concert was a good example of how he was feeling. Also, he was a lot happier to see Kaito when they skyped than usual and that said something.

"Yeah well it's Sasuke we're talking about here. No one knows what's going on inside his noggin except for him." He laughed.

"Who are you talking to about me?" A deeper voice was heard behind Naruto and she watched as the color drain out of the face from the man in front of her. Suddenly the connection went dead and all Hinata could see on her phone was her reflection on the black screen in front of her.

This was it. Naruto was going to get murdered by Sasuke and it was all her fault. She should have been the one to tell him. And now he was getting blind sighted, which was what he said he didn't want to happen. But she was too much of a chicken to try and reach out to Sasuke right now.

But maybe, just maybe, Naruto had hung up on her before Sasuke could see who it was, a tiny hopeful voice inside of her thought. She didn't think that was as likely but she hoped that it was. The last thing they needed right now was an angry Sasuke.

She went back into the living room to find Kaito almost right where he was, completely oblivious to the drama that was unfolding between his parents. She took a deep breath and started on dinner for the two of them.

"Mommy what's wrong?" Kaito came over and tugged on her pants. Hinata looked down at him in confusion.

"Stop crying please." He said again more fervently. Hinata's eyes widened at that. She lifted her hand and found tears on her cheeks. She hadn't even realized she had been crying. Suddenly it was like a dam had broken. She sat down on her floor and leaned against the cupboards, curling in on herself. Kaito had come over and pat her head with as much tenderness as a toddler could have.

She didn't know why was she was feeling so low. But she couldn't help the sobs that erupted from her. She never broke down like this, especially in front of her son. She thought it would be easy moving on. She had such a wonderful time with Naruto. So, if she liked him, then why did it feel like she was doing something wrong the minute it was possible Sasuke knew about it? Maybe it was because she was trying to move on with Sasuke's best friend. Or maybe it was the fact that she had done the one thing he had asked her not to do: blindside him. Either way, she felt like she was doing something immoral. But she shouldn't be feeling like this. She knew she shouldn't be feeling like this but that didn't matter. She still felt awful.

* * *

A/N: Okay sorry the update is so late. I feel like this chapter is kind of awkward and I tried fixing it but whatever. It is what it is. And you guys are awesome at reviewing and asking some hard questions. The first I wanted to address why Gaara wasn't the one Hinata moved on with. And that was because I knew it would hurt Sasuke for Hinata to move on with Naruto than Gaara because Sasuke and Naruto are like brothers (and it plays into effect later but SPOILERS) and the second one is if the reason Hinata and Sasuke didn't work out was because he was in a band and busy then why would she start dating Naruto? Wouldn't it end the same way? Well my friend the real reason why they split up wasn't because he was in a band and was busy. It's kind of been hinted at last chapter and this chapter but I promise all will be revealed towards the end. But him being in the band wasn't the reason I can tell you that much. As always thanks for the reviews/faves/follows.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been two weeks, three days and fourteen hours since she had last talked to Sasuke. Not that she was counting. She definitely was not counting. And it pained her that she was the reason why her child and the father of her child were not talking. She must have really hurt Sasuke if he wasn't even willing to call her to talk to Kaito.

The first few days she didn't attempt to reach out but after the third day she texted, called, and then tried to Facetime him each time met with disappointment. He was completely ignoring her.

And the situation with Naruto wasn't much better. He was almost as bad. She only got a few texts every day from him and he never called her anymore. He never mentioned whether or not Sasuke knew and she was too afraid to ask but she knew the truth. She knew Sasuke wasn't stupid, he didn't get Valedictorian of their school for no reason. She had messed up both situations and she was not proud of it.

She tried putting a brave face on for Kaito. She came up with every textbook response as far as why Sasuke wasn't calling. Kaito was upset and rightfully so and she felt like garbage for the reason their son cried at night. She never liked it when he cried, it always broke her heart.

It was a Thursday night and she was just putting Kaito to bed when she heard the door ring. She frantically ran over to it and yanked it open without thinking.

"Sasuke?" Hinata shouted just before eyeing the person on the doorstep.

"Wow thanks Sis. So much for sisterly love. Also, why are you thinking it was Sasuke?" Hanabi snuck past Hinata and took a seat on the barstool while she dropped her bag of belongings on the floor.

"It's a long story." Hinata mumbled and went to the fridge to get lemonade for her and her younger sister.

"Well good thing I have nothing but time! I just finished my classes for the week and I wanted to come stay the weekend with my favorite sibling!"

"Hanabi, I'm you're only sibling." Hinata reminded her with a snort.

"Yeah well Neji is basically our brother so it still counts." She took a drink and then pointed her glass at Hinata. "So, tell me what's the scoop. I know it's good if you're worrying about Baby Daddy. You never worry about him."

"I messed up." She put her face in her hands and took a deep breath. "I messed up terribly."

"Come on it couldn't be that bad. How could you have messed up that relationship? What did you do, have sex with Naruto?" Hanabi barked out a laugh and then stopped when she noticed how pale Hinata had gotten.

"Oh my god you had sex with Naruto!" She yelled and pointed at Hinata. Hinata was trying to keep her quiet while Kaito slept. But she fervently kept shaking her head.

"I didn't! But I have been talking to him and we have gone on one date so far." Her sister's eyebrows rose at that.

"So far? As in you might go on another one?" Hinata shrugged.

"Yeah I would like to. He's a great guy and we have fun together."

"Hinata I love you and I want you to be happy but isn't it a little weird? Naruto and Sasuke basically grew up together, they're not only best friends but brothers in everything but blood. What are the holidays going to be like? Does he feel weird that Sasuke has already been with you every which way?"

"I don't know. We don't talk about Sasuke when we're together." She admitted quietly.

"Yeesh, that's a red flag if I've ever seen one." Hanabi paused and scrutinized her sister for a second. "I'm glad though. I guess if it's Naruto that makes you happy then good. You deserve to be happy. I'll stand by whatever decision you decide to make but I just hope you are thinking about these decisions. But I'll stand by you if Sasuke ever decides to come for you. He can try but he will fail." Hinata giggled at that.

"I just feel bad. I think he found out when Naruto and I were facetiming. He hasn't spoken to me since and it's been a while."

"It'll be okay. He'll get over it. He was dating that Sakura girl for a while right? Even though they're not together anymore he moved on and I'm glad you're doing the same."

"Yeah I guess. It's been weird not talking to him for this long though. We're still best friends even though we aren't together. I just don't want this to be ruined."

"You don't want what to be ruined? The friendship or the potential to get back together?" Hinata spit out her drink and gaped at her sister.

"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked incredulously.

"Oh, come on like you don't know." Hanabi laughed.

"Know what?"

"That you're still in love with Sasuke?" Hanabi questioned.

"No, I'm not. That's ridiculous." She sipped her lemonade with the very little grace she had left.

"Yes, you are. I mean it's not surprising you didn't know. You're kinda dense." Hanabi shrugged and downed the rest of her drink. She then went to the alcohol cupboard and brought out a glass of wine.

"Come on let's get drunk and talk about this." Hanabi grinned at her older sister.

"I have to work tomorrow so I can't."

"Sure, you can! You're a college professor not a high school teacher! Just call in sick! It'll be like old times." Hinata debated for about five seconds before texting her daycare woman to let her know Kaito won't be coming in the following day and poured herself a glass of wine.

"Fine but only one glass. The last thing that's needed is for me to be intoxicated." Hanabi rolled her eyes but allowed her sister to have some control.

"Should I try talking to Sasuke? Maybe he will pick up if he thinks it's an emergency. Do they have a concert tonight?" Hanabi pried and Hinata shook her head.

"No but I don't want you to do that."

"And why not? At least you'll be able to finally talk to him." Hinata shook her head.

"Now is not the best time and I don't want to trick him into talking to me. That's not fair."

"Fine you're no fun." Hanabi finished her first glass of wine and poured herself some more.

"How's Konohamaru?"

"He's fine. He's almost finished with his degree."

"Have you confessed to him yet?" Hinata smirked over her glass.

"No! I was planning on telling him after graduation."

"Why do you keep putting it off?"

"Why do you keep riding me about this?" Hanabi snorted and Hinata rolled her eyes.

"You were grilling me about Sasuke earlier I feel like I'm allowed to do the same to you."

"That's fair I guess. It's just juicier with the two of you though. Mine is just a dumb crush and you guys were married for years."

"Hanabi, you don't just have a crush on Konohamaru, you've been in love with him since you were both kids. I wouldn't exactly sweep it under the rug. I think you need to tell him before it's too late."

"Fine. I'll tell him when I see him next. But if this goes sour quick you owe me a new dress." Hinata furrowed her brows at that.

"Why do I need to buy you a dress? I didn't make a bet with you."

"I know I'm just poor and want you to buy me one." Hinata laughed at that.

"How about I just buy you a dress tomorrow."

"Yay! Thank you!" Hanabi paused when she saw her sister's phone blowing up. "Um sis Naruto wants to video chat with you." Hinata flushed at that and hastily picked up her phone to answer it and after a few seconds he appeared.

"Hey Hinata!" He smiled but for some reason it didn't reach his eyes.

"H-Hi Naruto. How are you?" She stammered out. Her heart was beating out of her chest and she couldn't shake the feeling that this was not going to be a happy conversation.

"I'm doing okay. Look I wanted to talk to you in person but for some reason I'm not going to be able to leave any time soon and I would rather talk to you sooner rather than later." Hinata's cheeks flushed at that. That definitely meant that something bad was going to happen.

"Talk to me about what?" She watched him swallow and look off to the side in thought, pausing to take a few minutes. Her stomach dropped.

"Sasuke overheard us that day." Hinata paled at that. She figured as much but she wished she had just overreacted instead of it being true. He continued. "He isn't talking to me and is barely speaking to the rest of the band. We're not really having any problems but this put it into perspective for me. I love Sasuke, he's my brother. And even though I liked you first in high school, I have no right to claim you anymore. I wish we could still be friends but Sasuke means too much to me and I don't want anything to get in between us. You're an amazing girl Hinata and you will find happiness with someone, unfortunately though it just can't be me. I hope you understand." She held back the tears trying to build up in her eyes and smiled at him. Suddenly everything she thought she wanted was crashing down around her and burying her alive.

"Thank you for telling me. I wish you all the best Naruto and I know Sasuke will start talking to you again, you just have to give it time." She admitted softly and he smiled at her.

"I know. Take care Hinata." She pressed the button to end the call and stared blankly at her phone. Seconds, perhaps minutes passed before Hinata set the phone down on the counter. Hanabi grabbed her shoulder, pulling her out of her internal strife.

"Come here." Hanabi pulled her sister closer and Hinata buried her face in Hanabi's shoulder and let out the tears she was trying desperately to hold on to.

"If I didn't know Naruto personally I would be calling him every name under the sun right now." Hinata wetly laughed at that. "I mean what kind of an excuse is that? He doesn't want to get on Sasuke's bad side? He moved on I thought! Why should he care? It's not like you're still married or something." Hinata started to tune out her sister's thoughts and thought back at their first date and how wonderful he was. Now all he would be to her was a good friend. She cringed thinking about the next time she would have to see him. Even though it was only one date, she had daydreamed so often with him being the main focus that she lost sight of reality. She couldn't help but wonder if she was going to find someone to love. She just wanted someone who cherished her and made her feel special. She wanted someone who would ask her about her day and question her about little things and want to actually talk and learn about her. And the part that hit home the most was that Naruto did that. He made her feel special and was constantly checking in on her. She forgot what it was like.

When her and Sasuke had first gotten together her had been curious and attentive to her as well. Despite the fact that Sasuke is a much more reserved and quiet person he still cared about her and asked her menial things in his own way. But after years of being together that stopped on his end. With him being too busy with the band, the intimacy of the relationship was gone. But when Naruto took her out on their date it reminded her of what that was like.

She sniffled again and silently wondered if there was ever going to be someone for her out there. She just wanted to be happy again. To not wake up alone in her bed every morning and come home to someone after work was something she desperately wished for.

She pulled away from Hanabi and downed the rest of her glass of wine. She looked at Hanabi determined.

"Let's get smashed." Hanabi grinned in response.

"Finally." She said as she got up to put together stronger drinks. Usually Hinata wouldn't get drunk during a weeknight but if it was a rare occasion she felt she could give up some semblance of control. Whether this was going to be a bad idea or not would remain to be seen.

When Hinata opened her eyes, she groaned when her room was too bright. She rolled over and her breath caught when she felt another body in the bed along with her. She hesitantly got up and breathed a sigh of relief when it was just Hanabi.

Thankfully Hinata had her wits about her last night and cancelled class before she decided to drink her body weight in alcohol. She got up to go to the bathroom and saw her reflection in the bathroom.

Her raven colored hair was a mess and it was in tangles and her makeup was smeared underneath her eyes. She also didn't make it to her pajamas last night so she passed out in her work clothes from yesterday. She washed her face and brushed her teeth and hair and tried to resemble a put together adult but didn't exactly succeed.

She tiptoed into the kitchen to make sure that she wouldn't wake up Kaito and Hanabi. She took some medicine to get rid of her headache and then she started working on pancakes. It was the only thing she could stomach during a hangover.

The smell of pancakes wafted through the house and soon enough Hanabi came out, looking almost as terrible as Hinata and plopped down on a seat and watched Hinata work her magic.

"So how much do you remember last night?" Hanabi asked with amusement.

"We didn't do anything scandalous that I remember so why does it matter?" Hinata quipped back.

"Well I learned a lot about yours and Sasuke's sex life, which hot by the way." Hanabi sneered and Hinata turned beet red.

"No I didn't!" She stammered out.

"Yeah you did. You talked about how good it felt when Sasuke choked you along with a few other things." Hinata couldn't possibly turn any more red. She only told a few close friends that fact and she knew Hanabi was not one of them. She really didn't want her sister to know about her sex life. But it seemed that now it was out in the open.

"Oh my god. Please forget I said anything." She groaned into her hands and Hanabi laughed.

"It's okay. I could never judge you on that. Seems you and Sasuke had some amazing times. Oh and also? We may or may not have called him last night." Hanabi tried laughing it off but it came out wrong and Hinata felt sick the first time that morning.

"Please tell me it went to voicemail." Hinata whispered angrily.

"Well that's what I was hoping for too but it looks like the conversation went on for about ten minutes. And honestly, I don't remember talking to him or you talking to him. So, whatever was said to him is only for him to know apparently. Curse my lightweight tendencies."

"Oh god. What if I cried to him about what happened with Naruto?" Hinata asked horrified.

"Well if it was really bad he would probably tell you so I wouldn't worry about it. Did you have any texts from this morning from him?" Hinata shook her head at her younger sister. Maybe Hanabi was right. Maybe it wasn't a big deal and they only talked about nonsense last night. Or maybe, just maybe, Hinata had spoken about her true feelings; the one secret that no one knew but herself. The one that she had been denying for so long.

That maybe, just maybe, she was still in love with him.

* * *

A/N: I'm back from the dead everyone! I'm so sorry this update took so long. I just got a new job and I've been busy literally every single weekend for the past month and that's usually when I write the majority of my chapters. And also just know I will NOT abandon this story. These last few chapters have been extremely hard to write because I just want to get to the juicy stuff-sasuhina fluff! Next chapter will be the start of everything so I'm excited. (Also fair warning this chapter as not proofread because I just had to post it ASAP). As always thanks for the faves/follows/reviews. I will try my best to answer the reviews as they come in but if I miss one I'm sorry! Until next time! 3


	8. Chapter 8

When Hinata opened the door to incessant knocking, the last person she expected to see was Sasuke with two large duffel bags.

"Sasuke?" Hinata asked nervously and Sasuke grunted in greeting.

"Is that Daddy?" Hinata turned and saw Kaito running towards the door. He peaked up behind her legs and squealed when he realized who his mom was talking to. Hinata moved to the side as Kaito ran to Sasuke. She watched as Sasuke picked him up and kissed him all over his face.

"I missed you Daddy!" He said while tearing up and wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck.

"I missed you too Kaito. I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to you. I've been a busy man, but I'm here now." Hinata raised her eyebrow at him over Kaito's shoulder. Sasuke met her eyes but his expression gave nothing away.

"So, you're going to stay here with us?" Kaito asked hesitantly.

"Yes, for the next few months I'll be living here. Is that okay? Do you want me to live here?" Hinata didn't miss the fact that he also glanced up at Hinata when he asked that question.

"Yes! Yayy! Daddy can you sleep with me tonight?" Kaito asked while squishing Sasuke's cheeks, making Hinata giggle.

"Yes, I can." He said with a small smile.

"Good! You can sleep with Mommy the next night." Kaito said innocently but both Sasuke and Hinata were blushing furiously.

"Daddy is sleeping in the guest bedroom, Honey." She reached over and pushed his soft ebony hair off of his forehead.

"Why? Is Daddy in the dog house? Is that why you've been so sad lately?" Hinata mumbled something about being too observant under her breath.

"Let's get Daddy settled in so you guys can have your slumber party, okay?" Kaito nodded eagerly and started squirming so Sasuke let him down. Kaito ran to his room to get ready for bed while Hinata let Sasuke in the house. She held herself as she watched him put his stuff in the guest bedroom but frowned when he was making his way back outside. She watched him lean into his nice sports car and pull out the biggest bouquet of flowers she had ever seen. There were so many different shades of purple and white colored flowers all bundled together in a gorgeous vase with a purple ribbon.

"Those are beautiful." Hinata murmured. Sasuke smirked at her as he made his way back up to the house and handed them to her silently.

"These are for me?" Sasuke just rolled his eyes in response giving her a quick smile.

"Who else would they be for? Kaito's favorite color is dark blue." He chuckled.

"Thank you but why are you giving them to me?" She asked in puzzlement as she buried her face in the bouquet, taking in the wonderful aroma.

"Because I'm an asshole." He said with a straight face. She tilted her head in response, pressuring him to elaborate.

"I'm sorry I never called, even though I was mad at you I never should have taken it out on Kaito. That wasn't fair." He said while she stared at him in astonishment.

"I'm surprised you came to that conclusion. But thank you for the apology." He rubbed his neck and looked at the wall behind her.

"Kakashi actually may have knocked some sense into me." He said in embarrassment.

"Well at least you're being honest. I'm sorry too with the way things played out. I would have done it differently if I could. But it's over now so all we can do is move forward." She said quietly.

It was silent for a few moments and Hinata just kept her gaze down on the pretty flowers before deciding to set them down on her kitchen island, admiring their beauty and how they livened up the place.

Sasuke watched her the entire time before wrapping his arms around her. She settled in the embrace and gently wrapped her arms around his lower back.

"I'm sorry about you and Naruto." He murmured into the side of her head.

"It just didn't work out so it wasn't meant to be. Have you talked to him?" She asked into his shoulder.

"Yeah we had a long conversation. I wouldn't say we're back to where we were but we probably will be soon." His hot breath was tickling her ear but she reveled in the smell of his aftershave.

"Good. He's basically your brother. Please don't let me get in the way." He squeezed her tighter to him.

"You're not in the way. It was just a speedbump in the road. Thank you for letting me stay here and let me know if I've overstayed my welcome." She giggled at that.

"You're more than welcome here Sasuke. This is your home technically anyways. Kaito will be happy to have his dad around."

"Speaking of the little man, I should probably get ready for bed." He leaned back and Hinata had to look up at him because he was a good six inches taller than her. She saw his very rare, gentle smile and she blinked in surprise as he pressed a light kiss against her forehead before pulling away and walking to their son's room. Hinata frowned at the sudden loss of contact and stared at his retreating back, willing her heart to settle. She remembered something that she had been dying to ask.

"Sasuke?" Nervousness seeped into her voice.

"Yeah?" He turned back to look at her in curiosity.

"I'm sorry for calling you drunk last week but um, I don't remember what I said." He developed a wolfish grin.

"Well isn't that convenient?" He chuckled.

"What did I say to you? If it was anything out of line, I'm really sorry."

"You said you were thinking about me and maybe in love with me." His smirk grew.

"No I didn't. Did I?" She was really questioning her and Hanabi's life choices at the moment.

"Guess you'll never know, will you?" He smirked again and turned back towards the hallway, leaving her completely dumbfounded and frustrated.

She was on autopilot the rest of the night, cleaning up and taking her time to relish in the quiet. Her bath was wonderful, her bed was comfortable, and her dreams were peaceful for the most part. She couldn't help but wonder what was said that was making Sasuke so coy about the entire situation.

While Sasuke and Kaito were at the movies, Hinata had to get ready for her date. After several pep talks from her friends and several bad online conversations Hinata found herself in sexy blue skintight dress. She was anticipating a first date with a surgeon in the city that she had met through a colleague of hers. His name was Haru and he was so handsome but also a gentleman whenever they talked. Hinata was excited to see where this date was going to go.

She smiled giddily as she opened the door and saw his handsome face. He was a few years older than her. He had brown hair and pretty amber eyes. He was a few inches taller than her but still shorter than Sasuke. She frowned internally at the thought of her comparing him to Sasuke; there was no need for that.

He held out his arm for her and she grabbed it while trying to balance in her high heels. He held the car door open for her and she slid into the expensive car.

"You look beautiful tonight, Hinata." He smiled at her and she smiled in return.

"Thank you. You look nice too. Where are we going?" She asked quietly as she buckled her seatbelt and they took off.

"We are going to this amazing restaurant. People can't usually get in but I'm such a loyal customer they were able to squeeze us in tonight." His tone of voice was a little snobby but Hinata tried to ignore it.

They made small talk about both of their professions but unfortunately, he took over the conversation for the most part. They made their way inside and she didn't miss the envious looks the waitresses and other women were giving her as they were getting seated.

She looked over her menu and picked one of their salads as her stomach wasn't entirely settled. The nerves were getting to her. She almost rolled her eyes when he boasted about getting the most expensive thing on the menu.

"So Hinata you mentioned having a son. What's his name?" He asked around a bite of breadstick.

"His name is Kaito and he just turned three." She boasted, thinking about her precious son.

"What about the baby daddy?" Hinata paled at the question.

"What about him?" She asked skeptically.

"Is he in the picture. I'm not cool with having to fight for your affection." She sighed at that.

"Well I told you that I'm divorced and our son was a result of our marriage. We are good friends and we parent really well together but we're no longer together." For some reason, there was a small pang of hurt when she said those last few words.

"Oh good." He said while changing the topic about himself again. She stared at him and zoned out for a while, not really paying attention to what he was saying. She kept nodding but mentally she was not present. Her eyes started to lose focus and unexpectedly, those amber eyes changed into a darker color, and that brown hair had turned into a longer style that was now a black color.

Sasuke in her mind was what she was staring at. His impish grin and expressive eyes that had captured her from that first moment they met freshman year in high school. She yearned for his witty comments and the familiarity she had with him.

The man in front of her was so awkward to be around, even though he was nice, it just wasn't enough. Hinata didn't realize how hard dating a stranger was.

"So, once you find the man that you love and want to marry, are you going to quit your job?" He asked, shocking her out of her daydream.

"Why would I quit my job?" She asked with a frown.

"Well to take care of the house and raise the children." He asked incredulously.

"I raised Kaito basically on my own, with the help of his father only when he was back in town, and I think I've done a pretty good job while working full time." Incredulousness was starting to leak into her gentle demeanor.

"I mean I can't say I know that for sure but having one child is different than having multiple. You wouldn't have time to raise the kids and work full time." Hinata's eyes widened at that.

"I love my job so I would never quit it unless I absolutely had to. Teaching my students gives me a certain type of fulfillment that raising my son isn't able to give me. I love my son with my entire being but there's also something in enriching the lives of all my students and making them learn something they didn't know before. There's no words to describe it." He huffed in response.

"Well I work 24 hour shifts sometimes so I would expect my wife to stay at home to take care of our children."

"Oh." Is all she could come up with in response. She was extremely regretting going out with Haru right now. She was so uncomfortable she wished she could just melt onto the floor and escape this horrendously pompous man. At least Sasuke never dictated what she could or couldn't do. She sighed at the thought.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked her pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, thank you for dinner." No matter how rude this man was, Hinata was not going to ignore her manners.

"You're welcome, beautiful. How about we head out for a night on the town?" Hinata's eyes almost bugged out of her head. How could he possibly think this night was going well? Well time to be the bearer of bad news, she thought.

"Actually, I'm not feeling well at all. Is there any way we can end tonight short?"

"Oh, yeah sure. I'm sorry to hear about that."

Luckily, they made their way out of the restaurant and into his car. The drive home took a lot longer than Hinata hoped for. The awkward silence was palpable and Hinata thought she was going to choke on it. She was extremely thankful once they reached her house but Hinata paled when she saw Sasuke's car pull up.

"Is that your ex-husband that pulled in the driveway?" He asked timidly.

"Yeah, I've got to go. Thanks for tonight." She waved goodbye at him and hurried out of the car and slammed the door, wincing just a tiny bit.

"Hinata?" Sasuke asked as he got out of the car. She felt his gaze rake up and down her form, making her feel like an entrée.

"Mommy?" She bent down and picked up Kaito as he walked up towards her and frowned when she heard her date's car door open.

"Are you Sasuke Uchiha?" He asked incredulously. She watched nervously as Sasuke crossed his arms.

"Might be." Hinata winced but she was thankful at least Kaito wasn't really understanding the situation.

"Oh, hey man it's cool. I mean I'm a fan, I was just dropping Hinata off. How do you know Hinata?" Sasuke smirked and looked straight at Hinata.

"Yeah Hinata. Explain how we know each other." He walked over to her and took Kaito. "I'm going inside with him so doesn't have to deal with this." He murmured in her ear, causing her to blush. She murmured 'okay' in response, not ready to talk to Haru about this. The minute Sasuke and Kaito were in the house she looked to the other man.

"Well do you remember how I said I was married and I had a son with my ex-husband?" His face was a blank slate, clearly not getting the hint.

"Yeah, what does Sasuke have to do that?" His brows furrowed in confusion.

"He is my ex-husband." She said quietly. Out of all the scenarios, she was not expecting laughter to be one of them.

"Come on Hinata, how do you really know Sasuke?" He asked with amusement.

"I'm serious. He's my ex-husband and Kaito's father. I'm sorry I didn't say anything I just don't like telling people because they can get weird about the relationship." Shivers ran through her at the memory of accidentally befriending one of his crazy fangirls.

"There's no way. I mean you're hot Hinata, but we're also talking about Sasuke Uchiha. One of the world's biggest rock stars."

"Get off my property." She said quietly, fighting back tears.

"Hinata, I-"

"I won't repeat myself. Don't contact me either." She stormed off into the house, slamming the door, making Sasuke and Kaito widen their eyes and stare at her. She made a point to locking both of the locks.

"Everything okay?" Sasuke asked quietly while trying to play cars with their son.

"I'm fine." She whispered but he followed her into the kitchen to where Kaito couldn't see them.

"What happened? Bad date?"

"He was such an ass even on the date but when he saw you, he just got worse."

"What happened?" His voice hardened when he saw her start to cry.

"He started laughing when I said we used to be married and Kaito's yours." He frowned.

"Why did he start laughing? What's wrong with that?" She shook her head in response, she didn't want to relive that humiliation.

"Come on Hina, I can't make you feel better if I don't know what's wrong." He said quietly.

"He didn't believe me. He basically said I wasn't good enough." Sasuke gritted his teeth and developed a murderous aura.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch." He clenched his fist but made her look at him. "Don't listen to that dumbass. You are more than enough, never believe otherwise." She nodded and wiped the tears away and gave Sasuke a watery smile.

"I'll be okay. It was just terrible start to finish. I'm writing off dating for good." She laughed softly and walked over to Kaito. She sat down and a few moments later Sasuke sat down next to the both of them. They all picked up a car and played along with whatever Kaito wanted to do. Sasuke and Hinata shared a smile as they all played together as a unit.

"I'm going to make us dinner." Sasuke murmured as he got up.

"You are?" She asked in disbelief.

"Of course. I wasn't lying when I said I was going to help you out with everything."

"What are we eating?!" Kaito asked excitedly.

"Tomato basil chicken." He said simply and she almost fell over. She had never even made that before.

"Do you know how to make it?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course. I've cooked it on the road before."

"You cook on the road?" She asked again.

"Yeah. I get tired of take out or restaurant food. I needed to cook to survive." He sent a wink over to Hinata but she was just plain flabbergasted. She resumed playing with Kaito but she was distracted. Since when did Sasuke cook?

Another hour passed before Sasuke was ready for them to eat dinner. Kaito's food was already cut up for him in small bite sized pieces and Hinata's was on the table with a glass of white wine next to her plate.

"Sasuke this is very impressive. Thank you for dinner." He smirked at her and began to eat. Her and Kaito followed suit and when Hinata bit into her dinner she was in pure bliss. She smiled at Sasuke in appreciation. The dinner exceeded all her expectations and then some. She was going to need Sasuke to cook more often.

"Daddy this is good!" Their son said in excitement and Sasuke grinned in response.

"Thank you both. Glad I didn't poison you." They ate in relative silence with some talk between Sasuke and Kaito.

She watched the natural flow between the two. Even though Sasuke was usually a man of few words he had no problem in talking to Kaito. He wasn't one of those dads that talked down to their son or didn't participate in his life. When Sasuke was around he dedicated all of his time to their son to make up for the time when he wasn't. Sasuke turned to her and looked into her eyes, as if searching for something. Hinata's heart was beating quickly into her chest and she could feel her face heat up. He raised an eyebrow at her before turning his attention back to Kaito. Hinata was so screwed and this was only day two of Sasuke living with her. She had no idea what she was going to do.

* * *

A/N: Finally we're getting to the meat of the story. Hallelujah! lol. Poor Hinata found out what dating in the real world was like and it is not very fun. Thanks for all the faves/reviews/and follows. And I was stuck on this chapter because I had written it kind of differently and Sasuke was coming off as a jerk but after getting a review it gave me a different idea so the plot didn't change at all but Sasuke was written in a better light so thank you so much 2plygal for the inspiration even though it wasn't Shikamaru lol. So when you guys do write reviews, believe me I read each and every one of them and take into account. Don't expect me to change the entire story though, I'm still the driver of this trainwreck! muahaha. Also if you wanted to chat with me or were just plain curious I have a tumblr and it is: alexamary12 I've got a bunch of randomness on there so it's not all Sasuhina but I love meeting people so hit me up if you want!


	9. Chapter 9

"And in other news, the rock band Shock of Black is officially on Hiatus. It seems they are taking a break for personal reasons and there is no date as to when they are getting back together. There is some speculation as to whether the break up between Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno is the cause but Shock of Black's manager, Kakashi Hatake managed to clear up any rumors regarding the hiatus." The screen switched to Kakashi standing in front of a microphone at a press conference answering questions.

"Is it true that this is because of Sakura Haruno?" One of the female reporters asked and Hinata knew Kakashi well enough that the pause he took wasn't because he was trying to figure out an answer, it was because he was irritated.

"The band has been in talks to take a break long before Sakura entered the picture. These bandmates are brothers in every sense but the literal one. No outside forces caused this to happen. These are men with families that have been on the road for far too long and miss the simplicities of life. I wish you all would respect their privacy in trying to achieve a sense of peace and normalcy. Now that is the last question I will be answering." He stepped away from the podium and bowed to the crowd before stepping behind the curtain. The camera switched back to the newscast.

"Please turn that garbage off." Sasuke said as he came around the corner with a sleeping Kaito on his shoulder.

"I was curious!" Hinata quietly exclaimed.

"I swear every time I come back you're always watching something that revolves around the band." He raised his eyebrows at her and she willed herself to not blush.

"I wanted to see what Kakashi said." She said simply and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well you saw. Now can you please turn it off. I'm so sick of them being nosy. You know it's only a matter of time before they figure out I'm living here, right?" He asked as he laid down on the couch and cradled their son to his chest. She wanted nothing more than to join the both of them but she willed herself to stay put.

"Yeah I have accepted it. You know they're going to say we're back together right?" Hinata supplied.

"Yeah I know."

"And that doesn't bother you?" She tried again.

"Why would it? Oh, look Sasuke's back together with his ex-wife, get the cameras ready." He snorted.

"It would ruin your chances of dating anyone else."

"I don't want to date anyone else." Hinata frowned.

"You mean you don't want to date anyone period, right?" He hummed, not responding to the question which made Hinata's palms grow sweaty.

"Hey I just remembered do you want to come with me to an award's show?" Hinata's neck snapped so fast.

"What awards show? Why me?" Panic was more than evident in her voice. He turned his head more towards her.

"It's next weekend and because I want you to come with me. We can make a date of it." Hinata's eyes widened at that.

"Sasuke you can't just tell me the week before! I don't have anything to wear!" She angrily whispered, desperately trying not to wake up their son.

"Yes, you do. Kakashi got the hook up with that one guy, Oscar Something and he made a gown for you."

"Are you talking about Oscar de la Renta? Kakashi doesn't know my measurements."

"Well I may have snagged a dress from you the last time I was here and I guess he worked his magic or something. I have it hanging in my closet but I haven't seen it so if it's ugly I'm sorry." Hinata was red-faced on the ground and rolling around with her face buried in her hands. She couldn't believe this. It had been a few months since Sasuke was here at the house and not only did he already want her to be his date but he swiped a dress from her without her knowing. And on top of that he basically knew she would go with him. She couldn't believe him. And Oscar de la Renta of all people knew Kakashi and Sasuke! He designed a dress specifically for Hinata. It was mind-blowing.

But that also meant that while Sasuke and Sakura were seeing each other, he was never planning on asking Sakura to go to the awards ceremony with him, he was always planning on taking Hinata. Her heart warmed at that realization.

"I'll go. But what about Kaito? Don't you want him to go too?" She asked peeking up at their slumbering child.

"He's not going. I won't take him to anything like that unless he specifically asks. I wouldn't push that on him."

"Oh, so you won't push him into the awards ceremony but it's fine if you do it with me?" She asked with her arms crossed.

"I need a date and the escort I usually hire is busy that night." Hinata gaped at him.

"Sasuke!" He started laughing and holding Kaito closer to him as not to shake him off.

"I'm kidding. I want you to go. Please." His dark orbs stared into hers and she took a few seconds to think about it.

"Fine I'll go." She said with a small smile.

"Good. Now I'm going to nap. Take a look at the dress and see if it fits." Sasuke closed his eyes and Hinata rolled over and got on her feet. She was giddy at the idea of a custom-made gown just for her. She walked into his room and felt weird. She never went into his room but since she had expressed permission she allowed herself to glance around. There were a few picture frames set up with him and Kaito and even a couple of the three of them together. His bedroom was tidier than she had ever seen it when they were together. She opened up his closet and there was a giant fabric bag that looked like it was twice as long as her. She pulled it into her room and hung it on the door frame. She closed the door and stripped out of her clothes. She opened up the zipper and gaped.

It was a gorgeous lilac color that had a sweetheart neckline. She carefully pulled it off the hanger and stepped into it and zipped it up all the way, with it taking a tad bit longer than normal. She stepped in front of her mirror and gasped. It hugged her like a dream and made her curves more accentuated. In this dress, it looked like she actually had a backside but unfortunately the one place she was always self-conscious about was her chest area which was highlighted in this gorgeous gown. Her breasts sat up high and proud. Hinata appreciated that her womanly curves were shown off she just didn't want to flash anyone on accident.

The dress trailed two feet behind her and didn't have any decorations on it but she thought that was for the best. She walked over to her bathroom and pulled out her jewelry box to see if there was anything that would look good in this dress. She frowned when she couldn't really find anything that matched. Although this dress was expensive and Hinata could only imagine the price tag she knew any piece of jewelry she had would pale in comparison. She heard a quick knock and then Sasuke came into her room. His eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks.

"Hinata you're so beautiful." He breathed out and she warmed at the compliment.

"Thank you. Does it look okay?" She asked twirling around for him and internally smirking when she heard him choke a little.

"Yeah…uh… more than okay. I forgot to tell you I bought you something to go with the dress."

"You did?" He held out a black velvet box and she started to feel faint in the head. There was no way it was what she thought it was. When he opened it, her heart sank into her stomach.

"I thought these earrings would look good on you." He paused while looking at her. "Hinata, are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you Sasuke those are beautiful but you didn't have to." She shakily took the box and put the earrings in to see what they would look like. The long dangling earrings sparkled in the sunlight.

"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to." He said simply. He stepped into her personal space and piled her hair up on her head with a silly smile. "I'm going to be the envy of every man there."

"I don't think so." She said shyly but he tilted her head to look up at him.

"Oh, I know so." And before she could form another thought his lips were on hers. She tried to form rational thought but it all went out the window when his lips started to move against hers. The warm pressure reminded her of the insane chemistry they had together. Every kiss and every touch sent a shock to her system. When she moaned into the kiss he drew her nearer and cradled her jaw gently. She gripped onto his back tightly, never wanting to let go.

She was rushed with a lot of different feelings. She didn't want to stop but she knew they should. Their whole relationship was as clear as mud and every incident like this made it harder to define their relationship. She knew she was in love with Sasuke. There was no fooling herself. She had never fallen out of love with him. They got divorced when they were young and she didn't know what she wanted. If she was one hundred percent honest with herself it was the biggest mistake she ever made. Instead of talking about it like she should have with every little thing that was wrong she just cut and run. And karma being the cruel mistress that she was made it so that she would never be able to cut and run from him. He was her first love and probably her last love.

But she was confused because she didn't want Sasuke trying to get with her just because she was convenient and they had a history. She wanted more from him, needed more from him. If this was something more to him than just convenience than this was not the way to go about getting back together.

His mouth pulled away from hers and kissed her across her face and down her jaw and neck. Shivers erupted along her skin and she gripped tighter to him, clinging for life.

"Sasuke." She breathed and felt his hands grip her backside and squeeze.

"I've missed you." His voice cracked and that snapped her out of the moment. Instantly she pulled away from him and stared into his blown-out eyes.

"I'm not going to be a convenience for you." She said sternly while grabbing her clothes off the floor and locking herself in the bathroom.

"Hinata that is not what I meant." He said sighing.

"Why are you staring at the door?" Hinata heard Kaito asked sleepily through the door. She also heard Sasuke helplessly groan.

"Your moms in there and I was trying to talk to her." He said simply. "You didn't sleep for very long." If Hinata knew Sasuke, which she obviously did, it sounded like he was irritated with their son. But Hinata couldn't be more grateful. She needed to have some space from her ex. She hastily changed into her clothes while she made sure that she heard him and Kaito leave her room.

She slowly put her dress back in its bag and shoved it deep in her closet. She paced her room for what felt like hours but she stopped when she heard her phone vibrate on the nightstand. She sighed when she saw that it was Kurenai. She quickly texted her asking if they could meet up and Kurenai, thankfully she said yes. Hinata grabbed her things and made for the front door while leaving Sasuke gaping at her.

"Where are you going?" He asked incredulously.

"To Kurenai's, watch him." She said while kissing Kaito on the cheek, leaving Sasuke gaping after her.

"At least take my car!" He yelled before she stepped out the door, pausing she grabbed the keys from him and then smiled gratefully at him. He seemed more relaxed when she took the keys from him and complied with his request.

She forgot how ridiculous Sasuke's tastes were when it came to everyday items. She stepped into his shiny, black new, Lamborghini SUV. She had never even seen a car like his but she wasn't surprised in the least. It turned on with just the push of a button and it purred to life. It had been a long time since she got behind the wheel so she prayed to every deity out there that she didn't get in an accident.

She slowly drove through the streets and made her way to Kurenai's house, thankful she didn't live in a busy neighborhood. She got out of the car and almost forgot to lock it. When she made her way to the door, Kurenai opened it with a quiet smile and grinning Mirai on her hip.

"Auntie Hinata!" Hinata laughed and picked her up without hesitation. She stepped inside to the cozy home and sat on the couch while Kurenai brought over some tea.

"So, what's going on?" Kurenai asks as she sips her tea with a curious expression on her face. "And who's car is that? I know you don't have one." She quirks an eyebrow at her.

"Um… It's Sasuke's He wanted me to borrow it." Kurenai looked surprised at that.

"Sasuke's? Does that mean he's back home?"

"Yeah he came home a few days ago. I had no idea."

"So, is he the reason we had an emergency girl's night?" She asked with concern. Hinata nodded her head sheepishly.

"Well what happened between the two of you? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, nothing like that. He asked me to go to a music awards event and he even got me a beautiful custom made dress." Kurenai's eyes grew wide at that.

"He did? Wow, what an overachiever." She muttered.

"Yeah and when I tried on the dress, he gave me diamond earrings." Hinata trailed off and Kurenai made a waving motion with her hands trying to get Hinata to continue the story.

"He kissed me." Kurenai screeched and clapped her hands over her mouth while Mirai just looked at her confused.

"He did? Was it good?"

"K-Kurenai! You can't just ask that!" Hinata could feel her face heating up.

"It's a valid question. Well, was it as amazing as you remembered?"

"It was better." Hinata mumbled into her hands.

"Oh, wow you really have it bad." She smirked into her tea.

"No I don't. Why does everyone think that?"

"Who else said that?" Kurenai queried.

"Hanabi. She said I was still in love with Sasuke."

"Well, are you? It seems like you are."

"I don't know. I think I'm confused. I mean it's like every time I see him, every rational thought I have goes out the window. I am so attracted to him and him moving in and helping me take care of our son just makes it harder to remember why we aren't together. He even cooked for us! And now all of a sudden, he cleans the house too! His room is spotless! And now he's even asking me about my life. He asks me how my day is going, what my classes are like, and how my family is doing. It's weird."

"So, he's basically doing everything you wanted him to do when you were married?" Hinata nodded her head in response. "Wow, no wonder you're having a hard time keeping it in check. What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean what am I going to do?" Hinata asked while playing with Mirai's hair.

"Well are you going to get back together with him? Are you going to at least try?" Hinata sighed.

"I don't know. I don't know what I want. Everything is so confusing right now. So many old feelings are being stirred up and him being in a close proximity doesn't help."

"Have you thought about counseling? It might help you sort out your feelings and what you want."

"I haven't but maybe I should. I might need a subjective view of my life to help me navigate it."

"It might help. Just think about it. I have a friend who is a counselor who could squeeze you in for a first session to see how it goes."

"Okay if you want to give me their number I would love that. I'll give it a go."

"Okay." Kurenai smiled as she forwarded her friends phone number to Hinata.

"Thank you for being so wonderful. I appreciate it. Next time you need a babysitter just let me know. You deserve a night out on the town." Kurenai waved off the compliment.

"I haven't dated since Asuma passed away and I don't feel the need to. I'm perfectly happy in my own little world. But maybe one night the two of us could have a night on the town." Hinata got a wicked smile on her face.

"I wonder if Sasuke would watch the kids."

"I wonder." Kurenai and Hinata grinned at each other.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait. I had this chapter all written out almost immediately after the last chapter but I didn't like the way it ended so I fixed it. So that was my bad but I hope you like this story. Thank you for all the feedback as always. You are all lovely 3


	10. Chapter 10

Hinata felt emotional as her and Sasuke left Kaito at their house with Hanabi.

"Be good for Auntie, okay? We will be back in two days. We'll see you soon, okay love?"

"Bye Mommy and Daddy! Love you!" They both kissed him and waved at him as they got in the limo that was taking them to the airport. Sasuke had already loaded it with their bags. As they both got in the limo they watched Hanabi and Kaito wave to them as they drove away. Hinata couldn't stop looking at the window, it was easier than being alone with Sasuke and acknowledging that fact.

"Is this the first time you've been alone from Kaito for this long?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Yeah. The longest was a day but never three."

"You know, the longest I had gone without seeing him in person is two months." He almost whispered.

"I didn't realize it was that long. Was that when he was a baby?" She looked at him while he looked down at the ground.

"Yeah and we were doing the worldwide tour. It was awful. I've never been so depressed in my life."

"You were depressed?" She asked turning her full attention to him.

"Yup."

"I never knew that. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I mean we were freshly divorced and there was no way I could fly home between shows. And I couldn't tell you things that I used to, it was too awkward." Hinata reached over to grab his hand and hold it in her lap.

"Sasuke you can always tell me things. No matter what happens between us, I will always be your friend." He was silent for a few moments before looking at her.

"Hina you're going to hate me." Her heart sped up at that.

"Why? What did you do?"

"When I booked the room in our hotel, the only one left had one bed only."

"Why didn't you try a different hotel?" She was trying not to panic.

"I did. They were all booked."

"When did you book the room?"

"Last night?" He tried and she let go of his hand and smacked his arm.

"Sasuke! How did you plan everything but the actual room?"

"What? You know I'm a procrastinator." He said with a grin.

"I can't believe you. So, we're sharing a bed?" She asked hesitantly.

"Unless you want to sleep on the ground."

"Nothing's happening. I hope you know that." She looked him sternly in the face.

"I figured as much." She narrowed her eyes at him but he ignored her.

They sat in relative silence for the rest of the ride to the airport. She was thankful that they were able to fly in his personal jet but she still had to get through security to get to the plane. Once they arrived, Sasuke's security team were there to get all of their belongings and help them out of the car. Sasuke pulled on his baseball cap and hoodie with his large aviator sunglasses. Hinata just had her hair down with her hood pulled over her head. He grabbed her and led her into the airport with their belongings and guided her with his hand on her lower back the entire time.

Sasuke swore when they heard mumbling of his name and pulled her closer to him. They managed to get through security with little ease but Sasuke started walking faster when the paparazzi found him. She knew his bodyguards were doing what they could to keep them away from them but they still were able to get photographs of them. She could see several different flashes as they were taking pictures of them. Hinata thought it was somewhat funny but on the other hand she felt deeply sad that Sasuke would never be able to be himself out in public without at least one person hounding him.

"Sasuke who is that with you? Your assistant?" One of the photographers asked. Hinata started giggling at that.

"Just ignore them." He growled, pulling her even closer to him.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they were able to make their way to the tarmac and get onto his personal plane with little problems.

She laid down on his couch and read her book while he surfed the internet on his phone. Hinata tried to lose herself in her book but was peeking at the taut stomach that was showing as Sasuke's shirt had ridden up.

"Hina, you're staring." Sasuke smirked as he continued to look at his phone. She sputtered and turned over on the couch facing away from him.

"Giving me a view of your ass isn't punishing me any." She huffed and put a pillow behind her, making Sasuke laugh.

After that she tried to focus on her book but the quiet hum of the jet lulled her into a peaceful sleep. When she woke, she could feel the plane already starting to descend. She looked over at Sasuke who was watching her with an unidentifiable expression. She watched them descend on the new and foreign city. She always loved looking at the twinkling lights growing brighter the closer they got to the city.

After what felt like ages after the jet landed, they were able to get off and get in the next car that was waiting for them. They talked about menial things on the drive to their hotel which mostly included Kaito, until Hinata's phone buzzed. She frowned when she glanced at it, not recognizing the name or the number.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hi, is this Hinata?" A deep male voice asked.

"This is her." She answered back.

"Hi Hinata, this is Jonathan. I'm a friend of Kurenai's and she said you might want to set up a counseling appointment."

"Oh hello! Yes I forgot to call you when she gave me the number, I'm sorry. I've been so busy and it slipped my mind."

"That's perfectly okay. Are you still interested in the appointment?"

"Yes, if that works for you."

"Yes, definitely. How does next Wednesday sound at five?"

"That's perfect for me, thank you so much for squeezing me in."

"Anything for a friend of Kurenai's. I look forward to meeting with you." He disconnected the phone and she quickly entered it into her phone before forgetting the time and date. She glanced over at Sasuke and he didn't look too happy.

"Another date?" He asked with an unfamiliar tone.

"No, I have an appointment." She said quietly.

"An appointment? Like a hair appointment?" He asked confused.

"No, more like a counseling appointment." She responded.

"Counseling? Is it that bad living with me already?" He tried to joke but she knew he was self-conscious about it.

"No, not at all. In fact, you've done everything right. I just feel like I need to go because I need to sort some things out with myself."

"You'll tell me if I've done something wrong or overstayed my welcome, right?"

"Of course." She said simply, hoping he wouldn't push the issue. She wasn't about to admit the reason why she wanted to go in the first place is because she wanted to see if it was possible to be back together with him.

When they pulled up to the hotel, Hinata gaped. It was beautiful and so large, Hinata was in awe of it. So many beautiful plants and trees surrounded it, it was magical. The lobby was even more impressive with high glasses ceilings and a waterfall that had koi fish. Sasuke made sure they were both disguised somewhat and he checked in with the name of Christian Black. Hinata turned to him, glaring.

"Seriously? Christian Black?"

"What? I'm like Christian Grey only more intense." Hinata tried not to giggle at that but Sasuke grinning at her almost made her break her resolve.

"Let's go Christian." She took the key card and dragged him to the room while the hotel clerk was trying to flirt with him.

"You can't be jealous." He said to her once they were alone in the elevator.

"I'm not jealous, you were just being ridiculous." He folded his arms and got closer to her, with that trademark smirk looking back at her.

"You are jealous. I know you and I know that look." She tried to shrink away from him but she was cornered, luckily the elevator pinged and they were already on their floor.

She ducked around him and grabbed her things, finding the room they would be in. Just like the hotel, their room was immaculate. The bathroom was almost as big as her bedroom back home and she loved the waterfall shower it had. The bathroom floor tiles were heated. The bedroom had floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the city and the bay.

"This place is nice." Sasuke commented.

"You did good, although two beds would have been nice." She added softly.

"Don't worry I won't touch you unless you beg me for it." He looked at her with heat in his eyes and ignored his comment and started to put away her things.

"Can I use your hair and makeup person? Since this was so last minute I wasn't able to find anyone to do mine."

"Yeah, I actually figured that would be the case. They're going to do yours first since you will take more time."

"Okay thank you. So, what are the plans for tonight? The event isn't until tomorrow. And it's only seven."

"Well I was thinking we could order room service and then just swim in the pool. Tomorrow's going to be chaotic so I was hoping for a relaxing night beforehand."

"Okay, that works for me."

When they ordered the food, the staff brought the food up into their room but the young man almost had a stroke upon seeing Sasuke. Sasuke tipped him $50 for his secrecy.

"If I found out that you're telling people I'm here and who I'm with, I'll make sure you don't work here anymore, understood?"

"Understood, sir. I do just want to say that I'm a huge fan of yours." He admitted sheepishly.

"Thank you for that. What's your name?"

"It's Blake." He grinned ear to ear when Sasuke gave him a hug and then winked at him when he left.

"That was nice of you." Hinata smiled at him.

"Let's hope he doesn't spill the beans. I don't want anyone knowing we're here."

"I'm sure he won't say anything. He was acting like you hung the moon." She said before she took a bite of her salad.

"Well at least now he has some pocket money. I'm sure they don't pay well here." They ate in relative silence before Sasuke decided to call the front desk to see if they could extend the pool area time for the two of them past the cut off time. After a few moments, Sasuke grinned at Sasuke and said that they could have the entire night if they wanted to.

After dinner, they changed into their bathing suits and went up to the very top of the hotel, onto the rooftop and jumped into the pool. The night sky glimmered above them and Hinata was entranced. The warm summer night was making the temperature of the pool comfortable.

"Is this what the rich and wealthy lifestyle is like? If so, I could get used to this." She said as she floated on her back.

"Sometimes. Most of the time I'm cramped in a bus with four other men, sometimes five if Iruka joins us on the road. But on some occasions, we stay in hotels like this." He paused for a moment. "We need to go on a vacation." He declared.

"We do? This isn't a vacation?" He barked out a laugh at her response.

"No this is not a vacation. This is something work related. Let's take Kaito and go on a real vacation. We could even take out my yacht." Hinata flailed in the water, going completely under before popping back up again.

"You have a yacht? How come I didn't know this?" She balked.

"I just bought it last year. I was thinking of taking it to the islands or something. I kind of want to go somewhere tropical."

"Will it fit all three of us?" She asked hesitantly. He snorted in response.

"I mean it should, it's 150 feet long."

"Oh, so you mean you have an actual yacht."

"What did you think I meant?"

"That you just had a sailboat! Like a normal person."

"What can I say? I want my space on a boat. It's nice, you'll like it."

"I bet I will. I want to go someplace warm too. You're teaching Kaito how to swim though." She smiled at him playfully.

"I can do that. I haven't really taught him anything yet." He added thoughtfully.

"Sasuke the things you teach him in life, I never could. I may have taught him how to talk and walk but you will teach him what it looks like to be a respectful man. You'll teach him about dating, sex, how to act towards people who you have problems with. I can only do so much but the things you teach him will be just as valuable, if not more. Just because I taught him stuff in the beginning doesn't mean you can't teach him things in the end." She said as she waded over to him.

"Thanks, that makes me feel better. You're pretty incredible, you know that? Thank you for raising our son to be the boy he is today. It couldn't have been easy. And I know my temperament isn't always the easiest to deal with either."

"Our situation wouldn't have worked if it was anyone else but you." She said with a small smile.

"I think it's you that's made it work." He exhaled. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled devilishly at her. She squirmed as she tried to get away. The last thing she needed was to get up close and personal with him again after their kiss. But unfortunately for her his grip was strong.

"Hold your breath." He smirked.

"What?" She admonished.

"Washing machine!" He laughed as he took her and repeatedly dunked her back and forth in the pool. After several minutes, he finally released her. She took a deep breath and then splashed him in the face.

"I hate you so much right now." She started laughing.

"No, you don't." He smiled.

"Fine, I don't. But I am mad at you."

"No, you're not, you're smiling." He said. "Come on let's get going. I think they're about to close soon." He got out and held out his hand to her. She grabbed it but pulled him back in.

"Okay I definitely deserved that."

"You sure did." She got out on her own and dried off while gathering her belongings. She waited for him to do the same and she followed him back down to their hotel room.

She hopped into the modern shower and reveled in the heat and steam bouncing between the glass walls. She quietly sang to her music playing on her phone, letting the warmth seep into her bones. She got out after a while and took her time brushing her teeth and drying her hair. She slipped on her pajamas and walked into the room to Sasuke watching TV on the bed.

"Your turn." She said. He just got up and grabbed his belongings before taking his turn showering and getting ready to sleep. She slipped in the bed and watched the show that Sasuke had on. She smiled when she saw it was a trashy TV show. When he came out a half hour later she grinned knowingly at him.

"Still love your drama filled shows, don't you?" He sighed.

"It's like a terrible addiction." She was grateful he was wearing pants and a shirt. She wouldn't be able to handle it if he was shirtless. He slipped into bed beside her and glared at her when he noticed the wall of pillows.

"You can't be serious." He said deadpan.

"I'm dead serious. No touching. The last thing we need is another baby." He turns on his side and looks at her.

"I mean there are ways to not get pregnant." He raises an eyebrow at her.

"Goodnight Sasuke." She said while turning away from him. She heard him grumble behind her but thankfully he didn't knock down her barrier. The long day pulled her into a deep slumber and when she woke it was to the sun in her face. She nuzzled her face in her pillow but froze when her pillow groaned. She slowly opened her eyes and paled when she saw she was almost completely on top of Sasuke. Her pillow line had all but disappeared and her leg was entwined between Sasuke's and her arm was hugging his midsection. Her face was resting on his chest and as freaked out as she was, it was calming listening to his breathing. She froze when she felt his arm that was wrapped around her back cling to her harder.

She tried to roll away from him but it wasn't helping because he wasn't letting her go. In fact, the next time she struggled and tried to slip away, he rolled on top of her and moaned into her neck.

"Sasuke get off me. It's time to get up."

"Five more minutes." He groaned, his breath tickled her neck. "You're comfy."

"And you're heavy." She wheezed.

"I think we should finish what we started on the couch that one day." His nose skimmed her neck which caused it to break into goosebumps. "What do you say?" He whispered against her skin and she moaned while bucking into him.

He kissed up her neck and jawline and finally reached her lips. Her mind was in a fog and she knew she shouldn't condone this but her body was outweighing her thoughts at the moment. She didn't mind his morning breath and she couldn't help but wrap her arms around his shoulders and open her legs so he settled more intimately against her. He started to rock his body against hers and she was starting to feel light headed until a knock on the door pulled her into the present.

"Ignore it." He whispered against her cheek. But unfortunately for them the knocking insisted and they heard Kakashi say Sasuke's name through the door, in his bored tone.

"Damn it!" He yelled as he jumped off Hinata and adjusted himself in his pants. He opened the door to Kakashi and Iruka were there wearing knowing grins.

"My my, looks like we interrupted something." Kakashi said with a knowing look.

* * *

A/N: Here's the newest chapter! I proofread this when i was exhausted so if i missed one, two, a hundred errors, I'm sorry!


	11. Chapter 11

After an embarrassing first few minutes with Iruka and Kakashi making nonstop innuendos of the two of them, they eased up. Iruka was Kakashi's husband and basically the mother of the entire band.

"Your beauty crew will be here in a few moments, I just wanted to check in on the two of you and give you information about tonight." They both sat down on the couch.

"And you couldn't have just emailed this to me, why?" Sasuke growled.

"My, my. So testy. And I missed my little emo child." Kakashi said and Iruka laughed behind his hand.

"Whatever. Did you both go on vacation?" Sasuke asked and Iruka beamed while Kakashi smiled softly.

"Yeah we had a great time. A whole month of vacation was heaven." Kakashi replied.

"Well that's wonderful you two. I'm glad you were able to enjoy time alone together." Hinata said.

"We sure did. What have you two crazy kids been doing besides the obvious?" Kakashi asked with a leer.

"Don't get any ideas. We've just been spending time as a family. Nothing too exciting." Sasuke replied.

"That's too bad, Hinata. If it's not too exciting you might need to upgrade." Hinata's face turned bright red and she buried her face in her hands.

"Leave it." Sasuke said angrily, which made Kakashi throw his hands in the air in surrender. Thankfully the hair and makeup people arrived and Hinata was whisked away to the spacious bathroom. She heard angry whispering coming from the other room but couldn't make out what they were saying. Eventually she heard Kakashi and Iruka say bye to her.

After what felt like an eternity they were finally finished with her makeup and hair. Her hair was slicked back and straight down her back, even her bangs were pushed back. It gave her a sleek look and drew the attention to the makeup on her face. She had a stunning cat-eye with different tones of violet and a dark shade of violet on her lips. Her brows were filled in and her cheeks were contoured to perfect. She looked unrecognizable in the mirror but she was stunned at how striking she looked. She felt silly that she was still dressed in her pajamas but she wanted to change last minute into her dress. She walked out and Sasuke turned to her and his eyes widened exponentially.

"Wow." He said simply.

"Good wow?" She asked shyly.

"Beautiful wow." He said dumbfounded.

"Sasuke it's your turn!" The hairdresser said and he sighed.

"Let's get this over with." He sighed, moving past her.

She tried to focus on the television but she was having difficulty. It had been years since she was in the limelight with Sasuke. She didn't know if she was ready for the rumors again or all the gossip articles focusing on the two of them. Her and Sasuke were on very fragile ground and any bad rumor could ruin whatever they had.

The other thing Hinata was nervous about was seeing Naruto. She knew he would be there tonight and she didn't want to make it awkward. When Naruto and her broke up, he said that things were better with him and Sasuke but it was still rocky so she hoped that Sasuke wouldn't be weird towards the blonde.

Finally, when Sasuke was all done up, which was barely noticeable but his hair was a little shorter and a little more tamed, they started to get dressed. Hinata went into the bathroom first and she made sure to bring her spanx with her and her strapless bra. Unfortunately for her though, her strapless bra was showing which meant she had to go braless. She worked the zipper up halfway before calling Sasuke in to help her. He came in and helped her without a word and then walked out again. She frowned after him, wondering what he was thinking. Maybe he was just as nervous as she was. She finished getting ready and stuffed her phone in her giant wallet.

When she walked out Sasuke was already dressed and trying to put on his cufflinks. He looked stunning in his three-piece suit and his tie matched the violet of her dress. She walked over and put on his cufflinks for him.

"You look handsome. We'll make quite the pair tonight." She said while focusing on her task.

"You look so beautiful. Are you ready for tonight?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." She said with a smile. He grabbed her hand and their room key and walked out into the hallway, his security already there.

"Whenever you're ready boss." The largest man said.

"Let's go." Sasuke said as they all walked down the hallway. The men that surrounded them towered over Hinata but she felt comfortable around them. Though they never said a word the entire time they walked down to the car or on the drive there. Hinata's heart sped up once she saw the blinding flashing lights. Sasuke squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"It's okay. I won't let go tonight, I promise." He said in her ear. She beamed at him in response. He opened the door and held out his hand for her and the minute she stepped out she could hear the roar of the crowd. It was deafening and she for a split-second thought about just tucking tail and running back into the car but it was too late now because it had already driven off, much to her disappointment.

"Come on beautiful, let's go." He tugged her along and she went willingly. She could hear a bunch of murmurs whenever they passed photographers. Sasuke was then going into a booth for a popular evening program and still held onto her like he had promised.

"The infamous Sasuke Uchiha! How are you doing tonight?" The blonde man beamed at him.

"I'm doing fine. Ready to get tonight over with." He said simply, making the host laugh.

"And who is this with you? Is this the famous and allusive Hinata you talk so much about?" Hinata quirked an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah, she's my date."

"She's stunning, it's no wonder you keep her hidden from the world." He turned toward Hinata and pushed the microphone in her face. "How are you feeling about all of this?"

"It's very different than the quiet life I'm used to living, I will say that." She tried to smile but she probably looked so uncomfortable.

"Well you look incredible. Who are you wearing?"

"The dress is Oscar de la Renta." She smiled at Sasuke in acknowledgment.

"Well you two kids look incredible together. Does this mean you're back together?" Hinata looked at Sasuke without giving away an expression but he didn't give anything away.

"All I know is we have a wonderful son together and we co-parent together like champions. She's my best friend. Those are our labels right now." He said simply and excused the both of them from the interview.

"We're going to have to get used to those questions, they're going to be asking them all night." Hinata told Sasuke.

"I know. It's just irritating. They don't need to know." She rubbed his knuckles with her thumb and he smiled at her.

They posed for more photos and Hinata froze when she saw a familiar head of pink hair. She shrunk and moved even closer to Sasuke, trying to distract him from her. Thankfully they were moving further down the red carpet and even closer to the hall where the awards ceremony was being held. Hinata tried to hold it together and put on a brave face while they took pictures.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked as they finally were done with everything and inside the hall.

"Nothing. It's just a lot. I forgot how intense it was." She lied.

"It'll be okay. I haven't broken my promise yet, have I?" She kissed his cheek and suddenly pulled back.

"I forgot I was wearing lipstick!" She cried and thankfully dark lip prints weren't on him. He started laughing at the expression on her face.

"Come on. Let's go find our seats." They were sitting somewhere near the front and the rest of the band was around them. Thankfully Naruto wasn't too close to them which might make it easier on the both of them. Sasuke ordered them both drinks and Hinata watched with interest as all the celebrities poured into the venue. There were so many amazing singers and bands that she listened to almost daily up close and personal.

Kisame was the first to arrive, then Gaara, Kakashi and Iruka came next, and Naruto was the last. Hinata was glad to see they all had dates, especially Naruto. It wasn't a girl she recognized but she was glad he wasn't alone. Naruto even came over to talk to Sasuke and Hinata for a short while before the show started. Thankfully Sasuke and Naruto seemed to be back to normal, Sasuke didn't look stressed at all.

The show finally started and Hinata was glad, that meant the night was already half over. The host was some older man who made Sasuke laugh heartily. Unfortunately Shock of Black was at the butt of one of his jokes. Something about the band breaking up for some groundbreaking sex, and it made it worse when the cameras panned to Sasuke and Hinata. Hinata knew she was screwed because she was blushing all the way down to her toes but Sasuke just laughed.

The first half of the awards ceremony was about single artists so Hinata wasn't paying too much attention. Occasionally her and Sasuke would whisper in the others ear about who they thought was going to win and most of the time Sasuke was right and she was wrong. Apparently, she didn't know the music business as well as she thought. Not like Sasuke did.

She had to get up to go to the bathroom during intermission so it was the first time during the night where her and Sasuke were separated and she had a tiny bit of anxiety over it. She felt stuffy and like she didn't belong here. She walked into the enormous bathroom and balked when she saw the familiar pink head of hair she had been avoiding.

"Oh, it's you." Sakura said quietly.

"I'm sorry I could go." She was about to turn around but Sakura waved her off.

"I was just about to leave. I'm sorry about how I acted the last time I saw you." Sakura said sheepishly.

"Oh. Well thank you." Hinata replied lamely. She had no idea how she was supposed to respond to that. She moved past Sakura to the restroom stall but stopped when Sakura said her name again.

"Yes?" Hinata inquired.

"I hope you know our relationship wasn't even a relationship. It only lasted a month if that and even when we were together, he talked about you."

"He did?" She asked quietly.

"Yup. All the time. It was the reason we broke up, actually."

"I'm really sorry. We weren't doing anything but co-parenting when you guys were together, if that makes you feel any better." Sakura shook her head at that.

"I already knew that and that was why we broke up. The fact that he wasn't even with you and you were more important than I ever could be was why I had to leave. I'm not about to be anyone's second choice." She puffed out her chest.

"If it's any consolation, you deserve to be someone's first choice." Sakura smiled at her.

"As much as I want to, you're too nice to hate."

"Um thank you?" Hinata tried and Sakura laughed, leaving Hinata alone in the bathroom. Hinata tried to shake off the weird encounter and walked into one of the stalls but froze when she realized this dress was skin tight and there was no way she was going to be able to go to the bathroom without taking it off. She sighed as she struggled with the zipper and finally was able to get the dress down so she could use the restroom and once she was done she jumped around trying to pull the zipper upwards but it wasn't working. She only got it up halfway before she decided to give up and just go wash her hands and then have Sasuke fix it for her.

She made her way down the dark aisle and almost tripped but luckily caught herself. She moved to sit next to Sasuke and he looked at her in concern.

"Did you fall in the toilet or something?"

"No, I ran into your ex."

"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't think she would be here."

"It's okay. She was nice to me, I think. Can you zip me up?" He chuckled at that and zipped her dress the rest of the way up.

"And now the nominees for album of the year!" A bright beaming actress said as she held up a piece of paper. She listed off the albums and Hinata hollered when Shock of Black's album was nominated.

"And the winner is… Pride by Shock of Black!" The camera panned to the band and Hinata couldn't stop beaming at them. Sasuke and the rest of them got up and Hinata gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. She made sure she didn't leave any residue on his cheek. She watched as the band made their way up to the stage and Sasuke took the mic first.

"We just want to say thank you to all the fans out there for making us the men we are today. I also want to say thank you to Kakashi, our producers, and Land of Fire Records for allowing us to grow as a band. And I would like to give a personal shout out to my amazing son whom I love with all my heart and the wonderful mother that raised him during the times I was unable to." He moved out of the way so the rest of them could make a small shout out to their loved ones as well.

When they received their trophy, and were done with all their thank you's they made their way back to their seats. Hinata was dumbstruck that Sasuke even acknowledged Hinata in his speech. When he came back he had the biggest grin on his face and Hinata felt herself feel warm just from looking at him. Her heart was fluttering at the way he beamed at her and the rest of his crew. She thought he had never looked as handsome and ethereal as he did in those moments.

"Hinata?" Sasuke asked, moving closer to her.

"What?"

"I asked if you wanted another glass of wine."

"Oh, yes please. Are we going to the after party?"

"I wasn't planning on it but we can if you want to go." He asked her with his eyebrows raised.

"I was thinking we could just order a pizza in bed and watch some of your trashy TV."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. You can totally tell we're parents."

"I don't have a problem with it. Do you?" Hinata asked him honestly.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be." He said without hesitation.

"Good. Once these awards are over, let's blow this popsicle stand."

They smiled at each other and ordered more wine, getting further tipsy. The awards ceremony passed by in a flash the more wine they had and the next thing they knew they were saying goodbye to the rest of the band and Naruto even hugged the both of them. They were ushered to their car by Sasuke's security team and they fell into the limo together, laughing.

They fell asleep on the way there and when they got to the hotel they were barely awake as they made their way up to the room. Hinata facetimed Hanabi, so her and Sasuke were able to say goodnight to Kaito. At first Kaito didn't even recognize Hinata but he was thrilled about the 'new mommy'. Hanabi was trying to rile them up but it wasn't working because they were too exhausted. Hinata gave Sasuke the phone and went to go take a shower.

When she returned Sasuke was passed out on the bed with her phone on the bed next to him. She walked over and took Sasuke's shoes off as well as his pants and jacket. She sighed before looking at him, deciding that she might hate herself tomorrow morning. Sasuke was going to be too uncomfortable in his dress shirt as well so she stripped him down to just his underwear and pulled him underneath the covers.

Hinata joined him, not even bothering to build another pillow wall. She fell asleep dreaming of the stars in the sky and a pair of obsidian eyes and a soft smile. She had never had a more peaceful sleep.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait on the update. I got a new job as a 911 operator and it is taxing as all get out but I'm trying to push out the work as best as I can. As always thanks for the support. I'll try and write on the weekends and next month I'll have three days off each week so that will help with updates. Until next time loves!


	12. Chapter 12

Counseling for Hinata was slow going. She was hoping she would find some immediate answers regarding her decision with Sasuke. She wanted to be with him but she was worried they would just fall back into how they used to be. And that was how the counselor was helping her; he was helping her work through all her insecurities about the relationship and her fears about possibly getting into a relationship with him again.

But the more they talked about Sasuke, the more she would daydream afterwards about being with him. He had really changed so much since they had been together. He's doing more chores, he's more present in her life and he is taking more of an active role now that he knows where he stands with his life. The thing that scares her is that what is Sasuke gets to a point in his life when he's lost again? Is he going to revert back to how he used to be and abandon her and Kaito? She was scared to find out but at this point she was thinking she was too far into it to look back. With each passing day, she was falling further and further back in love with her ex-husband. There was just something about seeing him play with their son every day and making a home out of their house.

She must have been daydreaming too much as the smoke alarm started to go off. Sasuke burst into the kitchen in nothing but boxers with a concerned look on his face. Hinata's face turned bright red as she realized she was the one that caused this to happen. She looked down at the black pancakes in dismay.

"Are you okay? This is not like you to burn the pancakes."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention." Sasuke's lip twitched in amusement as he started opening up the windows.

"Hina, you're standing in front of the pancakes. How were you not paying attention?" He started chuckling as he finally cleared the house and reset the smoke detector.

"I was in my head. Sorry. I'll make some more." He grabbed the pan from her and smirked at her.

"I'll make the pancakes, you get ready for classes. The last thing we need is for you to burn down the house." She waved him off as she went into her room to get ready. She could smell the new batch of pancakes that Sasuke was making. If she couldn't even make pancakes, how in the world was she expected to teach class today? She guessed she would find out. She ducked into her son's room and gave him a kiss on the forehead and murmured sweet nothings into his ear as he was still asleep.

Once she was ready she grabbed a banana, yogurt and her coffee. Sasuke scowled after her.

"You're not going to eat with us?" She looked at the third plate with a wince.

"I need to leave now because I didn't finish grading all the tests. I'm sorry you made extra."

"It's okay. Have fun at work." He murmured as he watched her leave out the front door with a strange expression on his face.

"Thanks, I'll try. See you later." She dashed out of the house and grabbed the bus to the school. She made her way to her office and she regretted not bringing a scarf. The cold wind was especially biting today. The next two hours went by pretty quickly but she was glad that she was done grading for the day. The last thing she needed was to be behind on her work with everything else going on in her life. At least Sasuke was at home to be with Kaito and she didn't need to take him and pick him up from daycare every day.

All of a sudden, she heard a loud commotion coming from the hallway. She cracked open her door to see if she could tell if a fight was brewing or not. Thankfully, it was just a bunch of excited females murmuring about something but Hinata couldn't pinpoint what. She closed the door again and got ready to go to her first class. The last thing she needed was for a student to come into her office right before she had to leave. She gathered her stuff and quickly walked into her first class. As she began setting her things in the front of the room there were a lot of excited whispers and more than a few giggles. Hinata quickly glanced down at her outfit to make sure nothing was sticking out that shouldn't be or that she hadn't spilt anything on her outfit. Frowning, she found no evidence of a mess so she quickly resumed her task and once she had her paperwork ready to go she glanced up at the class and her eyes almost bugged out of her head. That's when the class really lost it. They all started laughing and Hinata felt her face turn as ripe as a tomato.

"Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Her eyes narrowed on their little one that was also struggling to break free from his grip. "You brought Kaito?"

"Mama!" Sasuke let him go and Hinata automatically dropped down and picked up their son and brought him to her hip. She looked at Sasuke questioningly.

"I brought you a scarf and I thought I would see you in action. It's been a minute since I've taken a biology class so I thought I would brush up." The class giggled at that.

"Class you know I don't like to talk about my personal life but since it's barged into my professional workspace I will allow it this once." She looked at Kaito and then to her class.

"This is my son Kaito. And as I know you all know, that's his father Sasuke Uchiha. For today, I guess he will be sitting in on my classes. Please try and focus today even though I'm sure it's extremely hard to do so with our two special guests." She looked Kaito in the eye.

"Kaito you need to listen to me. I need you to be as quiet as you can for a while. Mommy has to work; can you be a good boy and sit quietly with Daddy?" He nodded enthusiastically and kissed her on the lips. The entire class cooed over that. She put him down on the floor and he ran back to Sasuke in the back of the class.

As she began talking about the lesson, Sasuke did what she hoped and made absolutely no disturbance. Even Kaito was quiet as he watched her with rapt attention even though almost none of it made sense to him. She caught a few of the students trying to snap pictures of Sasuke but weirdly enough, Sasuke didn't mind. She knew he was aware of the situation but it was so out of character for him not to care about something like that.

The hour flew by and soon enough she had passed their tests back and her class was slowly flowing out of the door. That only meant that her, Sasuke and Kaito were alone in the room.

"Why did you really choose to come here today Sasuke?" He hiked Kaito higher on his hip.

"I wanted to see you teach. I've never done it before and I thought today would be the perfect day. I thought we could grab lunch or something during your break."

"I brought my lunch today though." Hinata argued pathetically. She needed some distance from him, being this close to him in her work environment was starting to do things to her heart.

"Save it for tomorrow. Come on, Hinata. When does this ever happen? Kaito wants to see what you do too. Right, bud?" Kaito nodded excitedly.

"Okay but after lunch you have to put him down for a nap." Sasuke smiled at her and nodded in agreement. She might regret this but she was surprised Sasuke was starting to take more of an interest in her life. For the first time, he was taking an active role in her life and she wasn't sure how to feel.

"Uhm, are we interrupting something?" Jennifer, one of Hinata's favorite students, asked. There were a few other students gathered around Jennifer and they looked at their teacher in awe.

"No come on in. We have two guests today that are sitting in on my classes. I'll explain everything when everyone gets here." The class piled in and she went through the same spiel that she did with the first class. It got easier teaching the second class because she was now used to having Sasuke and Kaito in the back. It cracked her up because it seemed the second class was paying more attention to Kaito than Sasuke and it seemed Sasuke was amused at that as well.

By the third class, Hinata was used to it and the attention. It seemed Sasuke and Kaito were as well. Kaito had fun watching her at the front and more than a few times struggled in Sasuke's grip to get to her at some point Sasuke would stop fighting him and just decided to put him down. The entire class watched as Kaito ran up to her and she just put him up on her hip and resumed her class. When the third class was over and the last student was out, her and Sasuke went to grab lunch in the cafeteria. It was probably a mistake because it was crawling with students at that time but Sasuke didn't care. He had his hand on her lower back and everything. She felt like they were a family once again. A complete puzzle piece and it felt so normal for them to be like that.

They grabbed some quick food and retreated upstairs were there was more seclusion than in the downstairs cafeteria. They hid away up there was more than a few students who were looking up at them.

"I'm not used to being the center of attention at work." Hinata said quietly as she began eating her sandwich.

"Would you rather us have not come?" He asked with concern.

"No. It's not that I didn't like it. It's just the attention is different."

"Hina we were together for years before you began teaching here. How is it any different?"

"I don't know. Probably because this is my work. I'm used to cameras being shoved in my face on my personal time but during work it just feels strange."

"I'm sorry. I should have asked." He said solemnly but she reached out and grabbed his hand in reassurance.

"I appreciate you being curious about what I do. I enjoyed having you guys in my class. It was refreshing."

"It was fun watching you teach. For Kaito and I being such a distraction, it was easy to tell how much your class likes and respects you." Her eyebrows shot up at that.

"Really?" He nodded.

"Definitely. It was easy to tell." Hinata was pretty surprised at that. She didn't even realize how much command she had over her classes.

"Was it hard letting the kids take pictures of you in class?" She asked while she munched on a fry. He shrugged.

"Not really. I already knew that would happen."

"You're not worried about those pictures spreading?"

"Oh, how annoying. My photo gets spread showing that our son and I show up and support you at your work." He said sarcastically as he helped Kaito eat his food.

"You don't mind? What about the rumors?" She pried further.

"Nope." He wouldn't go any further than that. She wondered why he wasn't bothered in the slightest but she also couldn't focus her thoughts as she watched the cute scene in front of her. Sasuke was such a good dad, she couldn't have asked for a better partner. And that's when it hit her. Since living with Sasuke he had really become her partner in almost every aspect. They had become more of a team than ever before. Even when they first got together, they had never been this close. It made her heart hurt when she realized that this couldn't be a permanent reality as he would eventually have to go back to his band.

"What's wrong?" He asked suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Nothing." She put on a smile and she knew he didn't buy it for a moment but she also knew that he wouldn't push her. They continued to eat and talk amid the quiet chaos below them.

"Is that Sasuke I see?" Kiba came up and asked with a grin on his face. Sasuke got up and gave him a hug. She was relieved to see a grin on both of their faces. She was more than a little nervous about Kiba seeing Sasuke. Kiba never made it clear how he felt about their break up.

"Hey man. How's it going?" Sasuke asked while sitting back down with Kaito while Kiba sat next to Hinata.

"It's going good. How are you? What are you doing here?" He asked confused.

"I'm good. Kaito and I thought we could see Hinata in action. We sat in on some of her classes." Kiba raised a brow at that.

"Really? And it wasn't total chaos in your classroom?" She shrugged.

"It was surprisingly under control but I'm sure the tabloids are going to get their hands on this information by tonight."

"I'm sure Sasuke's used to it by now. How's the band? Are you working on new music?" Kiba asked excitedly.

"They're good. I speak with them weekly. I have a meeting coming up on Friday I need to go to. I've already written five songs for the new album." Hinata looked at him in surprise.

"I didn't know that."

"I like to write when you're gone to work and Kaito's asleep. The peace and quiet allows me to think and feel a lot more than when I was cramped in the damn tour bus."

"That's so awesome. I can't wait to hear them." Her friend was oblivious to the incredulous look that was on Hinata's face. She wondered what Sasuke was writing about.

"Thanks man. I hope I do the new album justice." At that moment, Kaito leaned against Sasuke and started yawning. All three of the adults stared at him with a small smile.

"I think I better get him home. Thanks for letting me stay and watch you Hina. I'll see you at home. It was nice seeing you Kiba." He kissed Hinata's cheek and clapped a hand on Kiba's back as he walked out of the cafeteria.

"I think you have some drool right here." Kiba pointed to his own lip and she smacked his arm.

"Stop it." She said lightly and he laughed.

"I don't know why you aren't back together yet. He clearly still loves you." He said plainly.

"It's complicated." She said simply.

"Hinata, I've been your friend for over five years. It is not complicated. You're just scared and the Hinata I know is not a coward."

"I am a coward. I was a coward when I left him and now I'm a coward because I'm scared to go back to him."

"Are you still seeing the counselor?" He asked curiously.

"Yes."

"And what does he say?" He prompted.

"He says the same thing basically. I just need to gather the courage to go for it. Sasuke's done a complete 180 and changed so much since we were together. I have nothing holding me back. It's either get on board or be one hundred percent committed to cutting all ties to Sasuke besides co-parenting. He thinks the state we're in is extremely unhealthy for both of us."

"Why?" Kiba asked curiously.

"He said that it sounds like Sasuke is still in love with me and I'm practically dragging him on by acting ambiguous about our relationship and it might be giving him false hope. So, he gave me a deadline by the end of the month to tell Sasuke how I feel." Kiba looked at her in shock.

"Hinata, that's in a week." She put her face in her hands.

"I know. And what if my counselor is wrong? What if Sasuke doesn't love me?" Kiba started laughing.

"You don't have to worry about that. Any man who willingly goes back to class without receiving any sort of credit is obviously there for some other reason. I saw how he looked at you. I think your counselor is right."

"What if I put myself out there and get rejected?" She asked nervously.

"Hinata the biggest risks in life have the biggest rewards. If he says no, I will gladly kick his ass but I don't think it'll come to that. You just gotta trust me on this one." He winked at her before sneaking a fry and leaving her to her thoughts. Was Kiba right? What if Sasuke was still in love with her? Could she come back from it if she laid all her cards on the table and he rejected her fully? It would probably hurt a lot but she could probably do it. After all the one thing she was good at doing was bouncing back in stressful situations.

* * *

A/N: Wahhhhhhh I'm so sorry this took so long. I got stuck writing this chapter so I had to completely scrap what I had and start over. It's hard to write when I have one day weekends but please forgive me! :(


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